
ANTIETAM 



TO THE MEMORY OF THE BRAVE MEN OF THE NINTH NEW YORK INFANTRY 
(HAWKINS' ZOUAVES) WHO FOUGHT UPON THIS FIELD, AND ESPECIALLY 
TO THOSE WHO DIED HERE THAT THEIR COUNTRY MIGHT LIVE." 



THE 

NINTH REGIMENT 

NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS 

(HAWKINS' ZOUAVES) 

BEING 

A HISTORY OF THE REGIMENT AND 

VETERAN ASSOCIATION 

FROM 1 860 TO 1900 



BY > , . , 

LIEUT. MATTHEW J. GRAHAM 

COMPANY "A," NINTH REGIMENT, N. Y. VOLUNTEERS, AND 
U. S. VETERAN RESERVE CORPS 



NEW YORK 
MDCCCC 



u 



IHt LIBRARY 671 

CONGRESS, [ 

[Two Copies Received j 

MAR. J 3 1901 

yOPVRIGHT ENTRy 

hcru, ''t-t/Qccl 
>LASS tf_*xe. N..I 

COPY 8. 



COPYRIGHT, 1900 

BY 

MATTHEW J. GR \HAM 



, 






J? 



PRINTERS, -I 



I affectionately dedicate this work 
to my comrades who faithfully served 
and valiantly fought in the ranks of 
the Regiment during the War of the 
Rebellion. 

M. J. GRAHAM. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 



Chapter I. Derivation of Name Zouaves — Organiza- 
tion of the New York Zouaves in i860, 
with Copy of Original Pamphlet Contain- 
ing By-Laws, Committees, etc 21 

" [I. Organization of Civil Club— Drill Master 
Serg't Benzoni — First Shot of the Civil 
War— Firing on Fort Sumter — First Offer 
of New York Troops— Organization of 9th 
N. Y. Volunteers— Field Officers— Castle 
Garden — Riker's Island — Severe Drills — 
New Uniform — Inspection by Gen'l John 
A. Dix — Off for Fortress Monroe — Pres- 
entation of Flags in Fifth Avenue — Arri- 
val at Newport News 32 

" III. Advance on Big Bethel— The First Battle 
of the War — General Carr's Account of 
Battle of Big Bethel — Account of Major 
Winthrop's Death by a Southerner — 
Forces Engaged and Losses Sustained — 
Zouaves to the Front — Colonel Phelps and 
his Peculiarities — Right General Guide 
Herbert and His Grave Error — Two Zou- 
aves Attempt to get a " Pull " with Colonel 
Phelps 55 

" IV. Reconnaissance by Companies A and F— 
Skirmish with the Enemy — Trouble about 
the Relative Rank of Officers — Decided by 
Drawing Lots — General Butler Super- 
seded by General Wool — Special Order for 



CONTENTS. 



Expedition to Hatteras Inlets — Three 
Companies of the Ninth Join Expedition 
— Arrival off Hatteras — Bombardment of 
Forts — Surrender — Amount of Material 
Captured 70 

Chapt. V. Colonel Hawkins Assumes Command of 
Post — Correspondence Between Colonel 
Hawkins and General Wool— Expedition 
to Beacon Island — Lieut. -Colonel Betts 
and Five Companies Rejoin Regiment — 
Surrender of Gunboat " Fannie " — Attack 
on 20th Indiana — General Williams Super- 
sedes Colonel Hawkins — Construction of 
New Forts — Antipathy of Men to Wil- 
liams — Boys " Scouting " for Fresh Pork 
Seriously Alarm the General — Major 
Kimball and Two Companies Arrive from 
Newport News— Arrival of Burnside Ex- 
pedition — All Ready for Roanoke Island — 
Rations from the Sea — Wine Labels 
Passed as Currency — Robbing Potato 
Houses 84 

" VI. Underway for Roanoke Island — Arrival — 
Engagement with the Forts — Landing of 
the Troops — Bivouac in the Mud for the 
Night — Stealing Bed from Beneath the 
Colonel — Army Moves on the Enemy — 
Major Kimball's Fear that the Men Might 
Weaken — Arrival in Front of Battery — 
Order to Charge the Works — Colonel De- 
Monteil Killed — First Bayonet Charge of 
the War — What Curie Saw — Reflections — 
Extracts from Reports of Generals in 
Command — Capture of Captain Wise — 
More Rain — Description of Prisoners ... 119 



CONTENTS. 



Chapt.VII. Expeditions to Nag's Head and Winton, 
N. C. — Ninth Regiment Garrisons Roa- 
noke Island — Resignation of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Betts — Expedition under Major 
Jardine — Expedition to South Mills — 
Terrific March — Battle of South Mills or 
Camden — Heavy Loss of the Ninth — 
Death of Adjutant Gadsden — Return to 
Roanoke — Retrospection—General Reno's 
Report of Battle — Colonel Hawkins' 
Report I cj 

" VIII. Ninth New York Garrisons Roanoke Isl- 
land — Recreation the Order of the Day — 
Practical Uses of Captured Powder — 

Company K's New Battery Tactics 

Innocently Getting Square with the Com- 
pany Cook — Testimonial to Col. Hawkins — 
Parade and Drill of Ninth Under Com- 
mand of Non-Commissioned Officers — 
New Recruits Troubled with " Lapsy 
Palls " Cured by Sergeant Horner— Lieu- 
tenant Flusser, U. S. N., Captures Ply- 
mouth and Company " F " Detailed to 
Garrison Town — Runaway Slaves Re- 
turned to Owner — Wessel's Brigade Re- 
lieves Company " F "—Enemy Attack and 
Defeat Wessel, Re-Capture Plymouth and 
Kill Flusser — Burnside Leaves for Fort 
Monroe— Ninth Leaves Roanoke for Nor- 
folk — Camp for Contrabands— Losses of 
Burnside Expedition i 92 

" IX. Farewell to Roanoke Island — Arrival at 
Old Fort Norfolk, Va.— Off for Fortress 
Monroe — Arrival at Falmouth, Va. — 
Drills and Dress Parades a Promi- 
nent Feature — Rumors of Disaster — 



CONTENTS. 



Army Deserts Fredericksburg and De- 
troys Stores — Pope's Campaign and Dis- 
astrous Failure — McClellan Again in 
Command of Army of the Potomac — Dis- 
order in Washington — Camp at Meridian 
Hill — Off for the Maryland Campaign — 
Description of March — Skirmishes With 
the Enemy — Arrival at Frederick City, 
Md. — Hospitality of Inhabitants — Fire in 
Jail — On to Antietam — Battle of South 
Mountain — Coolness of Major Jardine 
Under Fire — Death of General Reno and 
Comments on His Soldierly Qualities — 
Arrival Near Antietam — Night Before 
the Battle 238 

Chapt. X. Lieutenant Graham's Letter Descriptive 
of the Battle of Antietam — Attack on the 
Stone Wall — Great Bravery of the Troops 
— Ordered to Retire and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Kimball's Protest— General Wil- 
cox in Person Peremptorily Orders Kim- 
ball to Fall Back — Assistance to the 
Wounded — McClellan's, Burnside's, Fair- 
child's, and Kimball's Reports — Mr. 
Kirkley's Statements of Total Killed in 
the Civil War, and Proportion of Wounded 
to Killed — General Longstreet's Com- 
ments on the Battle and Comparison with 
Other Notable Engagements — Percentage 
of Regimental and Brigade Loss of the 
Ninth Regiment 281 

" XL Retreat of the Army of Northern Virginia 
— Apathy of Fifth Corps — Camping on the 
Antietam— Recruits for the Ninth — Their 
Reception and Treatment by Lieutenant- 



CONTENTS. ix 

PAGE 

Colonel Kimball and his Tribute to the 
Old Regiment — Captain Whiting— Visit 
from President Lincoln— The Loaves and 
the Good Zouaves — Hospital Arrange- 
ments—The Band Plays "Annie Laurie" 
for the Sick Men— Promotion of Surgeon 
Humphreys — Across Elk Ridge to Pleas- 
ant Valley— " Tenting on the Old Camp 
Ground" ^ - Q 

Chapt. XII. Clothing and Camp Equipage Left at 
Meridian Hill — Cleanliness — Knapsacks 
Recovered — Knapsack Drill — Hunger, 
Cold and Marching — Three Columns 
Abreast — Company G as Headquarter's 
Guard— Company K Joins General Kautz 
—General Burnside Relieves General Mc- 
Clellan of the Command of the Army- 
Scattering a Quartermaster's Train — 
Good Artillery Shooting— Thanksgiving 
Day at Falmouth — Battle of Fredricks- 
burg — Stragglers — Winter Quarters in 
Virginia— On to Fortress Monroe 354 

" XIII. Establishment of Camp at Newport News 
—The Ninth Assigned as Provost Guard- 
Concentrating Troops- Sutlers' Trials- 
Rum as a Disturber of Martial Discipline 
— Review of the Ninth Corps— Horse 
Racing and Baseball— Enroute to For- 
tress Monroe and Portsmouth — Tele- 
grams—Borrowed Tents in Suffolk— An • 
Unwarranted Tragedy — The Use of 
Countersigns— Death of Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Corcoran — Ominous Thunders of 
Mutiny Calmed by General Getty— Re- 
moval to Fort Nansemond — Under Fire 
—Fake Bullets— Capturing a Battery— A 



CONTENTS. 



Lost Yankee in Rebel Lines— The Last 
Day — General Orders No. 27— Disappoint- 
ment of Recruits — Mustered Out 397 

Chapt. XIV. The Recruits Left at Suffolk— Lack of 
Military Control — Volunteering for the 
Fight — Camp Rumors — Private Reconnoi- 
tering— The Man of Straw— Uncertainty 
and Anxiety Among the Men — Trans- 
ferred to the Third New York — Bossing 
the Regiment— Off for Field Service — 
Campaigning in South Carolina— Army 
of the James — Army of the Potomac — 
Men of the Ninth Distinguish Themselves 
— Regiment Dwindles Away — Call for 
Second Battalion— A New Ninth Organ- 
ized— Formation of 178th New York Vol- 
unteers — Ordered to Virginia — New 
Ninth Recruiting— The July Riots— Jar- 
dine and White Wounded — Rescued— 
Battalion at Fort Hamilton— Seventeenth 
New York— Ordered to the Front— Pro- 
visional Brigade — Service of 178th — 
Service of 17 th — Men Who Served in 
Other Regiments 433 

" XV. Introduction to the Third Georgia — Va- 
rious Meetings on the Battlefield — Seek- 
ing Old Foes After the War— The Ninth 
Visits the Third— Incidents of the Visit 
to Georgia — Speeches — Reception of the 
Third Georgia by the Zouaves— How 
They were Treated by their Old -Time 
Foes — Banquets — Sightseeing — Excur- 
sions — Departure of the Georgians 46;, 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



Chapt XVI. Ceremonies at the Dedication of the Mon- 
ument Erected on the Battlefield of 
Antietam in Memory of the Dead of the 
Ninth New York Volunteers — Prelimin- 
ary Work of the Committees— Journey to 
the Battlefield — Comrade Richard's In- 
vocation — Comrade Graham's Introduc- 
tion — Address by Colonel Hawkins — Un- 
veiling the Monument — Oration by Rev. 
Clark Wright, of Company F — The Pres- 
entation to General Carman — Revisiting 
Points of Interest — The Return 493 

"XVII. After Muster-Out— Desire of the Men of 
the Regiment to Retain the Flags — Man- 
ner in which they were Cared for — 
Reasons why they Should be Trans- 
ferred to the State — Correspondence with 
the Governor— Names of Survivors who 
were Present at the Ceremony — Recep- 
tion of the Delegation by Governor 
Roosevelt — Lieutenant Graham's Re- 
marks — Governor Roosevelt's Reply — 
Major DeBevoise's Sketch of Service — 
Taps— The End 555 

Muster-out Roll rgy 

Errata 6^, 



INTRODUCTION. 

In the taking of Fort Sumter the rebels 
served their first notice upon the people of the 
loyal States of the coming of one of the most 
momentous events known to the history of any 
nation, and when two days later President 
Lincoln called for the levy of seventy-five thou- 
sand troops, it was like giving an order by the 
president of a great railway company to the 
maker of toy engines, for a like number of mogul 
locomotives. The call of the President found 
the Governors of States about as well prepared 
to fill his order as would have been the makers 
of the toys. 

The patriotic uprising, however, was complete. 
Millions of heads, hearts and hands were willing 
to do and to serve, but the great "how to" had 
to be learned, and there were but few teachers 
to show the way. 

There were thousands of well disposed, per- 
fectly inexperienced patriots who honestly be- 
lieved that the matter of making a good fighting 
machine out of a thousand perfectly raw recruits 
would be an easy one. Possibly the makers 
of the Ninth New York Volunteers were in 



2 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK J'OEUNTEERS. 

several important respects an exception to the 
general rule obtaining in relation to inexperience. 
In its field and staff there were three who had 
seen service in the United States Army, two as 
officers and one as a private; and in the line 
those captains and lieutenants who were edu- 
cated in the "Old Company" were well up in 
the Manual of Arms, Bayonet Exercise, and 
School of the Company, and theoretically, knew 
something of the School of the Battalion. In 
addition to this stock of professional quantities 
and qualities on hand, there was youth, no end 
of patriotic enthusiasm, ardent desire to learn, 
sincere wish to serve well, and a striving for a 
high plane of excellence in the performance of 
soldierly duties. With this capital on hand, the 
" Ninth" launched itself upon the difficult under- 
taking of organizing a body of eight hundred 
very young men into a regiment of fighting 
soldiers. 

April 15th, 1861, President Lincoln issued his 
first call for seventy-five thousand troops — it 
ought to have been a million, and possibly 
would have been for that number had not Sec- 
retary Seward earnestly advised that the war 
would be over in sixty days, the South did not 
intend to fight, was rising for a scare, etc., etc. 
All this in face of the historic fact that secession 
sentiment in many parts of the South had been 



INTRODUCTION 



persistently propagated for more than a quarter 
of a century, and that for many years their 
political leaders had been waiting for a pretense 
to commence an open revolt against the Union. 
A wise statesman would have noted these facts 
and acted accordingly. But the really large 
minded patriotic statesman, equipped to deal 
with great national questions, was not in evi- 
dence. In his place there were no end of cun- 
ning politicians, some of them more or less 
patriotic, but the better of them were trained 
with a strong bias in favor of self. 

Within three days from the printing of the 
President's call for troops, the enrollment book 
of the coming regiment showed over two thou- 
sand names of enlisted men. With the recording 
of names the work of selecting men of the kind 
wanted, young, strong, sound, of medium size, 
was carried forward, so that on the morning of 
the nineteenth of April, the number of men 
allowed by the State had been selected and 
were ready to be mustered into the service as a 
regiment of Volunteer Infantry. 

From this time on there was everything to do 
and nothing to do it with. Quarters had to be 
secured, rations supplied, clothing, arms and 
equipments obtained, and nearly eight hundred 
perfectly raw recruits drilled and instructed in 
the whole round of difficult duties which go 



4 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

towards the making of an efficient and reliable 
soldier. Fortunately there were willing hands 
and plenty of unselfish desire behind them for 
all the work there was to do. Imperceptibly, 
department lines were drawn. The coming 
young officers of the line keeping with the men, 
teaching marchings and facings, maintaining 
order and enforcing camp regulations. Later 
on the lieutenant-colonel, an accomplished tac- 
tician who had served in the National Guard of 
the State, gave efficient instruction in battalion 
drills. 

In the meantime the much worried and be- 
puzzled young individual who was destined to 
command was working with all his might, try- 
ing to make some headway with the business 
part of the enterprise, which included everything 
involving the expenditure of money from the 
purchase of a gaiter buckle to the leasing of an 
island and the building of barracks. Progress, 
however, was rapid and satisfactory, for May 
15th found the regiment comfortably housed in 
their new barracks at Riker's Island, clothed, 
equipped, armed, and well provided with all the 
soldiers necessities allowed by the regulations. 
Two weeks more of incessant drill and hard 
work in other directions brought the regiment 
to a most satisfactory degree of efficiency, so 
that when the time came to depart for the seat 



IN TROD UCTION. 



of war all was in readiness for the move. The 
first and most difficult stage had been success- 
fully passed, and already, the coming veterans, 
with the years of boys, were feeling the conse- 
quences of their position and appreciating the 
value of their earnest labor intelligently bestowed. 
The next stage was the landing at Newport 
News and the continuation, under the school- 
ing of Colonel John Wolcott Phelps, of the First 
Vermont Volunteers, of the character-forming 
so successfully commenced in New York. The 
accident of reporting to such an officer as 
Colonel Phelps was an exceptional piece of 
good fortune in the history of the regiment. 
He was a graduate of West Point, had served 
twenty-three years in the artillery, and beyond 
all doubt was one of the most accomplished 
officers ever graduated from that school. As a 
classical scholar and a master of several mod- 
ern languages, he was without rival in the regu- 
lar army; he was also well up in pure mathe- 
matics and thoroughly well posted in all the 
various branches of his profession. In addition 
to his great acquirements he was a thoroughly 
honest, unselfish, conscientious gentleman, with 
common sense, and a perfect appreciation of 
justice, patriotic to the core, and of exceptional 
capacity for work. 

This brief tribute, possibly a little out of place, 



6 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

is due to an officer, whose teachings and exam- 
ple had very much to do with the making of a 
regiment of efficient soldiers, and is here set forth 
to make a degree of appreciation due to a noble 
man. 

From the landing at Newport News to the 
end of August, hard work was the order of the 
day; but before that time instruction had become 
so effective and discipline so habitual, that the 
regiment was ready for effective work. In short, 
within three months from the date of the first 
muster into the service, it had become a com- 
pletely serviceable organization for serious busi- 
ness in the field. 

If other regiments were not able to accom- 
plish a like result the fault was with the officers, 
many of whom were ignorant of the duties de- 
manded, naturally inefficient, and with no dis- 
position for hard work. With such material as 
we have already, good officers can make good 
regiments in three months, and in the event of 
pressing necessity in half that time. 

The exceptional work — out of routine sort — 
at Newport News, was the purgation, or pushing 
out, of inefficient officers who had been elected, 
under State laws by their men, to the company 
commission grade. This labor was so success- 
fully performed that within six weeks from the 
landing, three very worthless captains and twice 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

as many lieutenants had passed on to other 
fields of usefulness. Soon as their march to- 
wards the North commenced, the great advan- 
tage of their absence became apparent. More 
of this sort of work had to be done before the 
regiment was completely freed from its shoulder- 
strapped dead wood, but it was performed grad- 
ually, not so much again in any one short period 
of time. Soon after the system of weeding out 
had been thoroughly inaugurated, a plan regu- 
lating promotions was set in operation. It re- 
lated to the line, non-commissioned staff and 
orderly sergeants. The senior first lieutenant 
succeeding to the first vacant captaincy, the 
senior second lieutenant to the first vacancy 
among the firsts, and the ranking orderly ser- 
geant taking the place of the second lieutenant 
promoted. This order of promotion proved to 
be most efficacious and had very much to do 
with the making of the regiment. 

But the labor of establishing it was not like 
living in a bed of roses fanned by gentle zephyrs. 
Practical politics pointed a fire in the rear in the 
way of granting commissions without consulting 
regimental commanders; not wanted outsiders 
were frequently commissioned to the regiment, 
and the inefficients in it were often, out of their 
turn, jumped over the heads of the more deserv- 
ing who were entitled to their promotion. An 



8 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

unlooked for incident, of a most disgraceful 
nature, which occurred in the Autumn of 1861, 
proved to be the beginning of the end of this 
unwarranted interference from the authorities 
at Albany. 

Early one evening in the month of July, 
Colonel Phelps sent for the colonel of the Ninth 
to come to his tent at once, as he wanted to see 
him in relation to an important emergency. 
When there he was told there was danger of an 
emeute among the men of the First New York 
Volunteers. A certain captain named Barnard 
had returned from Old Point in a state of in- 
toxication, and soon after his arrival in camp, 
without provocation, had wantonly shot and 
seriously wounded one of the favorite non-com- 
missioned officers, and the Colonel of the Ninth 
was ordered to hold his regiment in readiness 
to put down any uprising that might occur. 
Although among the men and non-commis- 
sioned officers, threats were freely and openly 
made, better counsels prevailed and there was 
no disturbance. For some reason the criminal 
was not tried, his victim recovered, and his 
would-be murderer disappeared. 

The incident was a day's talk, then forgotten 
and nothing more was heard of the chief actor, 
until upon a certain day in the October follow- 
ing, he appeared at Hatteras Inlet commissioned 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

as a Captain in the Ninth Regiment. His 
advent proved to be a great regimental surprise 
that called for prompt and decisive action, which 
was promptly taken. Neither the would-be 
Captain or his commission were acknowledged, 
and he was ordered to return immediately to 
Old Point Comfort, and the following letter 
was sent to General Wool : — 

Fort Clark, Hatteras Inlet, N. C, October 8, 1861. 

General John E. Wool, Commanding Dept. of Va., 

Fortress Monroe, Va. 
Sir : — I do not acknowledge the right of Governor Morgan to appoint 
and transfer officers, over my head, into my regiment, and I will resist 
the appointment and transfer of Captain Barnard, even though it cost 
me my commission. 

If Captain B. should in the end succeed in obtaining a command in 
my regiment, I shall then, if not dismissed before, resign my com- 
mission. With very great respect, 

I remain your faithful servant, 

RUSH C. HAWKINS, 

Col. Comg. Ninth Regt. N. Y. Vols. 

The gauntlet was thrown, the contest on, and 
sink or swim, was to be fought to the finish, 
apparently against enormous odds, by an ob- 
scure young volunteer colonel, single-handed, 
who had neither influence or hope of favor, but 
he was sure of being right at least morally, and 
had no fear. With the enforced leaving of 
Barnard, regimental peace was restored and the 
daily routine went forward about as usual. But 
peace which blesses was not to endure, for 
again, October 22nd, it was disturbed by the 



lO NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

appearance of the same evil spirit. This time 
it was accompanied by a special order from 
General Williams, commanding at Hatteras In- 
let, assigning him to the command of a company 
in the Ninth Regiment. This time the regi- 
mental blood was superheated, and the order 
promptly disobeyed in the most emphatic man- 
ner. A prompt arrest of the hot-headed 
Colonel followed, charges preferred, and nine 
days later he was ordered to proceed to Fortress 
Monroe for trial by court martial. 

Soon after his arrival at department head- 
quarters, he sought and obtained an interview 
with one of the aides of General Wool, who 
after reading charges and hearing a full circum- 
stantial account of the whole affair, from the 
shooting at Newport News to the arrest, frankly 
stated that the victim of orders was clearly in 
the right, and that he would see what could be 
done with the General. The quoting of an 
official letter is the better way of stating the 
measure of his success : — 

Headquarters Department of Virginia. 

Fort Monroe, Va., November 5, 1861. 

Colonel: — The Major General commanding the Department directs 

me to inform you, that the charges preferred against you by Brig. 

General Thomas Williams are dismissed, and you are hereby released 

from arrest. t am gi r> mos t respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

WM. D. WHIPPLE, Asst. Adjt. Genl. 
Col. Rush C Hawkins, Ninth Regt. N. Y. Vols., 

Fortress Monroe, Va. 



INTRODUCTION. 1 1 

Following the release there was a long inter- 
view with General Wool, who being an officer 
of long experience and provided with common 
sense, and knowing how to deal with those, who 
in defense of right sometimes take the short 
cut to justice, disregarding regulations and 
orders, said in effect, that a colonel was respon- 
sible for the good name and efficiency of his 
command, and it ought to be a part of his 
official duty to keep disreputable men from 
obtaining commissions in his regiment. There 
was no doubt about which side the moral sup- 
ported, but orders had been disobeyed, the 
matter to be settled was an important one and 
he would order the offending officer to Wash- 
ington, to present his side of the case to the 
President for his decision, and also to obtain 
from the Administration instructions in relation 
to present occupation of North Carolina coast, 
and future operations in its inland waters. 

The stay in Washington lasted eight days ; 
the matters for consideration involved two 
Cabinet meetings and several interviews with 
President Lincoln. The permanent occupation 
was decided upon and future operations out- 
lined, but the President would not pass upon 
Gov. Morgan's power to make appointments of 
commissioned officers to regiments in the field 
without consent of colonels commanding. In 



12 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

this particular instance he thought the Colonel 
was right, but he could not afford to get up a 
quarrel with the Governor upon whom he most 
relied to assist in putting down the Rebellion. 
''Tell General Wool I leave this matter in his 
hands for him to arrange with the Governor, so 
there will be no more trouble." It was never 
known what General Wool did, but there were 
never any more appointments without the con- 
sent of the colonel of the regiment. In the 
meantime, Barnard had been placed in com- 
mand of a company, but the men of the whole 
regiment made his position so unpleasant that 
he feared bodily harm, resigned, and was never 
heard of afterwards. It was ascertained that 
this individual was of Baltimore, where he had 
kept a very low groggery — a resort for crim- 
inals — and that generally, he had a most un- 
savory reputation, coupled with a strong 
suspicion that he had been engaged in criminal 
practices. 

This unpleasant incident has been set forth 
in extenso for the sole purpose of showing what 
an earnest officer, intent upon doing his whole 
duty to the Government, had often to contend 
with. During the whole contest the demoral- 
izing political fire from the rear was quite as 
efficient as the other from the front in retarding 
progress towards the better military organiza- 



INTRODUCTION. 13 

tion. No doubt the majority of the Governors 
were patriotic and desired to do their best, but 
they were politicians who could not stand up 
against the pressure from without. Their work- 
ing constituents had to be rewarded, and in the 
far too numerous regiments from all the States a 
commissioned officer's place could always be 
made for a devoted henchman. These were 
two of the prominent reasons, among the many, 
why it took years to make an army out of the 
best possible material, instead of months. 

During the administration of the War De- 
partment, by that notoriously corrupt politician, 
Simon Cameron, of Pennsylvania, one of the 
faithful from a rural part of that State appeared 
in Washington pressing his claim for a foreign 
mission. There being no vacancy among them 
a fat consular appointment was asked for, these 
also were all filled, and the worker being 
disappointed and disconsolate appealed to 
Cameron for relief. That official sympathized 
with him, said he appreciated the valuable 
services performed in the mountain district, and 
as reward offered the best he had to bestow, and 
promptly tendered a brigadier general's com- 
mission, which was declined by the homework- 
ing patriot because he preferred peace to war, 
but he had heard that the position of purchasing 
and contracting quartermaster at Harrisburg, 



14 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Philadelphia, and other places in Pennsylvania 
was pleasant and profitable and he would 
prefer one of those. 

From the inception of the regimental idea, it 
had been determined to form it upon purely up 
to date military basis, and in order to accom- 
plish the better results in that direction, absolute 
control by a single head was the one dominant 
essential, and it was the spirit behind and sup- 
porting that determination which caused the 
firm resistance against giving a place in the line 
to a thoroughly disreputable and unfit character, 
which if permitted would have been a stain 
upon the reputation of the whole organization. 

There were also other important ideals to be 
developed : manliness, cleanliness, honesty, 
sobriety and clean-cut individuality. All of 
these qualities are essential to the make-up of a 
perfect soldier, no matter what uniform he may 
wear. Along these lines in many respects, long 
before the term of service had expired, success 
was so marked that there were at least fifty men 
in the ranks who could have commanded the 
regiment as efficiently as any officer in it. But 
over and above all these separate qualities 
there was developed an all prevailing and over- 
ruling esprit de corps, which both as to conduct 
and soldierly appearance kept the whole up to 
a very high level. The regimental spirit was 



IN TROD UCTION. 1 6 

such that its members were always ready for 
any emergency, fun, frolic, gymnastics, theatri- 
cals or serious work in the field ; with them 
disaster never brought despondency. Grief for 
those who had fallen was the ever present 
incentive for better work in the future ; but 
there was never discouragement or want of 
confidence in capacity to perform whatever duty 
might be commanded. A Union general who 
witnessed the demeanor of the survivors a day 
after the terrible struggle and loss at Antietam, 
suggested that after the words "Toujours Pret" 
(the regimental motto), the words " Nil Des- 
parandum " might appropriately be added. 

The last day of the march from Antietam to 
Falmouth was a very muddy one, and by the 
time the army reached the grounds appointed 
for going into camp it presented an appearance 
plainly showing its intimate contact with the 
fields of Virginia mud. But notwithstanding 
unfavorable conditions for show purposes, 
General Sumner then commanding the right 
Grand Division, ordered an afternoon full 
dress parade of his whole command. The 
Ninth growled but went to work with a will, 
brushing, eradicating mud spots, chalking those 
on the white duck gaiters, blacking shoes, 
burnishing arms, etc., etc. The parade was 
over and the three corps of which it was com- 



16 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

posed dismissed, excepting the Ninth New York, 
which was ordered to remain ; no one concerned 
knew what was coming, but there was some 
trembling in boots, and particularly about the 
time that General Sumner with full staff rode 
to opposite the center of the regimental line, 
saluted the commanding officer and asked 
" Whose regiment is this?" Upon receiving the 
answer he took off his hat and in a loud tone 
of voice said: "This is the first regiment of 
soldiers I have seen in many years," and then 
after complimenting in most flattering terms 
the officers, who at his request had gathered 
around him, left the field. This was the honest 
outspoken expression of a brave old soldier 
who had adorned our army for more than a 
third of a century of notable service. 

It is needless in this connection to write it, 
but it may as well be stated, that this uncon- 
ditional compliment was an enormous feather, 
not white, in the caps of the "Boys"; it put 
them upon their best behavior, and its influence 
lasted to the end of the term. 

In the month of May, 1863, while an army, of 
which the Ninth New York was a part, was de- 
fending the Union lines at Suffolk, Virginia, 
during the siege of the rebel forces under Long- 
street, the Ninety-ninth New York Volunteers 
crossed the Nansemond River and, unsupported, 



IN TROD I CTION. \ 7 

made an attack upon the intrenched left of the 
rebel line. The regiment was defeated and 
driven back with considerable loss, and com- 
pelled to recross the river, leaving their killed 
and wounded on the field. Seeing this, the men 
of the Ninth, who had watched the whole move- 
ment, involuntarily, and without orders, com- 
menced to move in the direction of the scene 
of battle for the purpose of rescuing those who 
were left behind. This hazardous service, within 
less than point blank range of the enemy's small 
arms, was so well performed that it elicited from 
the Lieutenant Colonel of the Ninety-ninth the 
following acknowledgment: 

Headquarters, 99th N. Y. V., Suffolk, Va., May 2, 1863. 
Colonel Rush C. Hawkins, Commanding 9th. Regt, N. Y. V. 

Sir : — Allow me to tender to you my most heartfelt gratitude for the 
kind and gallant promptitude with which some noble fellows of your 
command volunteered to assist in removing the dead and wounded of 
the 99th N. Y. V. from the field, under sharp fire, yesterday afternoon. 

Six dead and forty-three wounded were brought in, not leaving a 
single man on the field. 

I am, Sir, very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

R. NIXON, Lieut. Col. Comg. 99th N. Y. V. 

This communication tells its own story, and, 
save only in one respect, calls for neither ex- 
planation or comment. The writer, who saw 
the whole of the unfortunate affair from start 
to finish, clearly remembers that the most of the 
rescuing was accomplished by the fearless volun- 



18 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

teers for the perilous work, of the truly "Noble 
Ninth." 

This incident, more completely than any other 
could, illustrates the dominant idea which gov- 
erned in the formation and education of the 
regiment. From the first it was intended to ele- 
vate the man, not at the expense of the soldier, 
but so rightly to educate him that he would 
make the better soldier. 

There were thousands of men " standing 
around" from other regiments who witnessed 
the disaster to their companions in arms, but 
only the men of the Ninth moved forward to 
the rescue of the fallen. The others were indif- 
ferent to their sufferings, or too anxious for the 
preservation of self. These were machine sol- 
diers, who might have gone to the rescue if they 
had been ordered. The men who did go went 
because they could not help themselves. This 
movement was involuntary ; they had to do 
what they did, because it was the right thing 
to do and needed doing. Thus they proved a 
high development in the right direction of the 
individual ; while those of the other regiments, 
who only looked on, showed they were of the 
machine sort, and could not, or would not, 
move without orders. The stronger and more 
elevated the individuality of the individual, the 
more he respects himself and the stronger his 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

self-reliance ; and that is the most notable qual- 
ity in the make-up of the American soldier. 
He can, and will, whenever necessary, move 
to the front, and stay there without orders from 
his officers. The onrush of the American sol- 
dier of his own volition, without orders, was 
never better illustrated than at Missionary 
Ridge, when our monumental individualities 
from the West started out one fine morning 
for a reconnaissance in force, which ended in 
their driving Bragg and his army out of their 
well chosen and strongly entrenched position. 
The significant present they then made to the 
army commander was without precedent in our 
history. 

This introduction has been written for a dou- 
ble purpose : to set forth, at least inferentially, 
that the machine-martinet way is not the better 
for making, in the shortest time, a good fighting 
organization out of our average American ma- 
terial ; but the education upwards of the moral 
and intellectual that is in him is the only way 
to do it effectually, in order to get the best out 
of the man that he has to give. A high order 
of intelligence is quick to perceive the potential 
necessity for discipline and value of tactical 
knowledge, and soon acquires both without 
being forced. Of course there are exceptions 
to American regiment rules as well as to all 



20 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

others. There are plenty of men in the world 
who need driving, but the average American 
regiment, composed of natives, would be re- 
garded as especially unfortunate if it should 
have fifteen per cent, of that sort within its 
ranks. 

PERSONAL. 

In all probability, this is the last time I shall 
be called upon to write about the regiment that 
bore my name and that I had the honor to 
command. Our intimate companionship com- 
menced thirty-nine years ago to-day, and with 
those who survive has continued to this time. 

The stirring memories connected with my 
association with the brave and true men of that 
body have ever been my most priceless posses- 
sion, and I can never forget how much I owe 
to them, nor shall I ever fail, while life lasts, to 
appreciate their friendship and loyalty. 

The tour of duty on this earth is coming to 
its close, the journey is nearing its end; the 
parting at the ways is in sight, and the only 
word to be fittingly said is now forcing its way 
from throbbing heart to trembling lip ; the pro- 
nouncing of it I leave to others. 

RUSH C. HAWKINS. 

April 19, 1900. 



CHAPTER I. 

DERIVATION OF NAME ZOUAVES — ORGANIZATION 
OF THE NEW YORK ZOUAVES IN i860, WITH 
COPY OF ORIGINAL PAMPHLET CONTAINING 
BY-LAWS, COMMITTEES, ETC. 

THE history of the Ninth New York Volun- 
teers would be incomplete without a brief 
account of the " Old Company," with the address 
and by-laws promulgated for its government. 
These clearly and vigorously embody the rule 
of action, strictly enforced, which gave birth to 
the fine soldierly spirit, which in one winter 
brought to the organization a degree of soldierly 
perfection, in drill and demeanor, seldom found 
in even the oldest military bodies. The or- 
ganization was, to the core, democratic, and yet 
an unbending despotism, the despot being the 
laws and regulations, which were impartially 
and justly construed. 

For the enforcement of orders there was no 
military code to fall back upon. The authority 
for all action rested solely upon the voluntary 
consent and loyal approval of the governed. 
But the whole structural part of the organization 



22 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

rested upon, and was sustained by an all pre- 
vailing esprit de corps, born of an earnest desire 
for excelling in all the qualities which go to 
make up the perfect soldier. 

When the Rebellion came it found this asso- 
ciation of earnest boys (for they were all young) 
ready, patriotic and filled with an earnest desire 
to be of service to their country, and they 
carried with them, into the ranks of the regi- 
ment which they made, the spirit of the parent 
company ; and the child, upon all occasions when 
called upon, proved itself a worthy offspring. 

The name " Zouaves " was first taken from a 
tribe of Kabyles in Algeria, whose fighting- 
qualities were for generations noted throughout 
North Africa. After the French occupied Al- 
giers, in 1830, a body of these troops was incor- 
porated into the French Army, with French 
officers, discipline and arms. In 1837 tne corps 
was divided into three battalions, and became 
noted in the many conflicts preceding the final 
conquest of Algeria. Long before this the native 
element had been eliminated, and after 1840, 
the Zouaves were simply European troops uni- 
formed as Arabs. 

Because of their peculiarity of dress and the 
fame as fighters of these Frenchmen, Messrs. 
Hawkins, Barnett, Parisen, Hammill, Li Baire, 
Graham, Childs, and others of New York City, 



ADDRESS OF THE ORGANIZERS. 23 

conceived early in i860, the idea of organizing 
a company which was to be the foundation of a 
future regiment, to be known as " The New York 
Zouaves." The idea met with instant approval. 
Committees were appointed, by-laws drafted, 
and on the 23d of July, i860, the corps was 
organized. 

An address, presented by Mr. Rush C. 
Hawkins, was adopted and printed, which is 
herewith reproduced, and which shows in what 
an original, energetic and business-like manner 
the corps was formed. 

ADDRESS. 

In forming an independent military organiza- 
tion there are a great number of things of 
special importance to be taken into considera- 
tion in order to effect anything approaching 
perfection. There must of necessity be many 
absolute and positive rules, which must be car- 
ried out to the letter. 

In the first place, equality of social feeling 
should be inculcated to the most unlimited 
extent. All should be considered alike and 
treated alike ; nothing like favoritism should 
be allowed to creep in ; efficiency and good 
character should be the only recommendation 
to preferment, and no one, by reason of a 
superior social position, should be allowed to 



24 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOIUNTEERS. 

usurp the place which merit should occupy. A 
feeling of brotherhood and kindliness should be 
cultivated. This is necessary in order to assure 
harmony. All measures should be adopted 
with as much unanimity as possible, so that 
there may be no feeling of dissention. When 
any measure has been adopted every man 
should carry it out to the very letter. An inter- 
est and pride in excelling should ever be upper- 
most in the minds of all. Nothing like careless- 
ness in demeanor, while on duty, should ever 
betray itself. The moment a man becomes 
careless he ceases to be of use to himself or to 
others. The idea has been circulated that this 
organization has been formed in imitation of 
our Chicago brethren. Such is not the case. 
We shall not imitate ; we intend to create for 
ourselves and manage our affairs after our own 
style of thinking. 

One most essential point of difference will be 
that we do not intend to make laws to govern 
the conduct of members while off duty. We do 
not believe that it is requisite to place a cordon 
of laws around men, in order to compel them 
to become decent and respectable citizens ; but 
we shall endeavor by example to raise the 
standard of character so high that each one will 
feel that if he conducts himself otherwise than 
as a gentleman, he will be disgraced in his own 



ADDRESS OF THE ORGANIZERS. 25 

good opinion, and in the opinion of his com- 
rades. We do not believe that any part of 
mankind was ever changed from blackguards 
to gentlemen by the force of strict laws. One 
who will not, of his own accord, conduct himself 
properly, cannot be improved by the force of 
legislation. We, therefore, believe it just that 
no attempt should be made to exercise any 
control over the members of this corps while 
off duty. 

Still we would add that good conduct and 
character, together with obedience to the in- 
stincts of truth and the dictates of honor, will 
detract nothing from the man, nor make the 
soldier less efficient. 

We would assert, as a rule, that those who 
would excel as soldiers must be patient and 
industrious, quick and willing to obey orders; 
they must pay strict attention to duty, and be 
cleanly in person and dress. 

These qualities, coupled with a desire to learn 
and be instructed, will, in time, make soldiers 
fit to command and to be commanded. 

We should also like to have each man made 
to feel that a uniform of glaring colors neither 
makes a man nor a soldier; but that the con- 
duct, efficiency and bearing of the wearer must 
decide whether he is a soldier, who knows what 
he professes, or a fool, wearing uniform, not 



26 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

knowing- why, except that it panders to his 
vanity, which is satisfied in exciting the ridicule 
of the sensible, the wonder of small boys, and 
the admiration of fools. 

Preamble. 

The members of this corps, having associated 
together for the purpose of perfecting themselves 
in military science, and for the further purpose 
of forming a military organization similar to the 
French Zouaves, do agree to abide by the fol- 
lowing by-laws, which shall constitute their 
rules of action. 



BY-LAWS. 

ARTICLE I. 

Name. 
The name of the Corps shall be " The New York Zouaves." 

ARTICLE II. 

Uniforms, Equipments, etc. 

The construction of the uniforms, equipments, and arms shall be 
similar to that of the French Zouaves. 

ARTICLE III. 

Application for Membership, etc. 

Any male citizen or denizen of the United States, between the ages 
of eighteen and thirty-five years, possessing a good moral character and 
good health, who shall be proposed by any member, or shall send in an 
application in writing, giving two or more references as to character 
and health, shall be ballotted for at the next regular monthly meeting 
after the proposition or application has been received; and if all the 
ballots, except five, are in the affirmative, he shall sign the roll and 
become a member of the corps. 



B Y-L A II 'S OF NE IV i 'ORK ZO UA I 'ES. 2 7 

ARTICLE IV. 
Drills. 
Each squad shall drill twice a week; each company twice a week; 
and the whole corps as a battalion once in each month, except during 
the months of July and August. And after the corps is organized into 
a regiment or battalion there shall be four field days in each year, when 
the whole corps shall parade for field duty. 

ARTICLE V. 

Company Officers, etc. 
Each company shall consist of one captain, three lieutenants, five 
sergeants, four corporals, four drummers, and eighty-four privates. 

ARTICLE VI. 
Field and Staff Officers. 
The field officers shall consist of one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel, 
and one major. The staff shall consist of one adjutant, one quarter- 
master, and a paymaster. A chaplain and a surgeon may also be 
attached to the staff of field officers, who shall be elected by a two ■ 
third vote of all the commissioned officers of the staff and line. 

ARTICLE VII. 
The Non-Commission ed Staff. 
The non-commissioned staff shall consist of a sergeant major, a 
quartermaster's sergeant, a drum-major, a color sergeant, and two 
general guides, all of whom shall be appointed by the Committee on 
Instruction and Lectures, from the rank and file, with the advice of 
the colonel. 

ARTICLE VIII. 
Mustering of Members into Company. 
No member shall be mustered into a company until he has been in- 
spected by at least three of the Committee on Instruction and Lectures, 
and by them pronounced capable of performing all the marchings, 
facings, manual of arms, and evolutions of the line. 

ARTICLE IX. 
Formation of Company and Election of Officers. 
As soon as one hundred and one members shall have been enrolled 
and found competent to be formed into a company, they shall then at a 
regular monthly meeting proceed to elect the commissioned and non- 
commissioned officers of the company, each of whom shall be elected 
by a plurality vote, and in like manner shall each successive one 
hundred and one proceed, until ten companies are formed. 



28 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

When three hundred and three shall have been enrolled and formed 
into companies, there shall then be an election of a colonel and staff 
officers, who shall be elected by a plurality vote of the whole corps. 

ARTICLE X. 

Formation of Battalion. 

The formation of the battalion or regiment in order of battle or line 

shall be the same as that contained in Article First of Title First of 

"Hardie's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics." Each company shall be 

mustered into battalion as soon as formed. 

ARTICLE XI. 
Drill. — Tactics Adopted. 
The drill shall be that of the United States Light Infantry, following 
as near as possible the exercises and discipline of Hardie, and the 
bayonet exercise of McClellan, except when these authors come in 
conflict with the drill of the French Zouaves. Then the latter shall 
prevail. 

ARTICLE XII. 
Fines for Absence from Drills and Parades. 
The fine for being absent from drill, unless the absentee is excused, 
shall be fifty cents, and from battalion or company parade, three 
dollars. Being absent from three successive drills without being ex- 
cused, shall be considered sufficient cause for expulsion, unless the 
absentee shall have first obtained leave of absence from the president. 

ARTICLE XIII. 
Fines for Deficiency in Uniforms, etc. 
On full dress company or battalion parades, no person shall be per- 
mitted in the ranks who is not properly armed, equipped and in full 
uniform under a penalty of fifty cents. 

ARTICLE XIV. 
Conduct of Members in General. 

While on duty, either at drill or parade, each member shall conduct 
himself according to the rules of manly and soldierly propriety, always 
paying strict attention to duty and obeying orders to the best of his 
ability. 

No member shall, when on or off duty, with any part of his uniform 
on, visit any public place, such as bar-rooms, hotels, theatres, libraries, 
etc., without first obtaining the permission of his commanding officer, 
under the penalty of five dollars for the first offence, the second offence 
will be a sufficient cause for expulsion. 



B } '-LA WS OF NE W ) 'ORK ZOUA VES. 29 

On all parades or out-door drills, the corps being dismissed for a short 
time, no member shall go beyond eighty paces from where the arms 
were stacked without permission of his commandant, under the penalty 
of five dollars fine for the first offence, and upon repetition of the 
offence the member shall be expelled from the corps. 

ARTICLE XV. 
Funeral Parades. 
In case of the death of any member the whole corps shall attend his 
funeral, wearing the usual military badge of mourning, in full uniform 
or otherwise, according to the desire of the family of the deceased. 

ARTICLE XVI. 
CIVIC DEPARTMENT. 
Officers. 
The Civic Department shall consist of a president, vice-president, 
secretary, and treasurer, each of whom shall be elected on the first 
Monday of each January for the ensuing year by a majority vote. 

Meetings. 

The regular monthly meetings shall be held on the first Monday of 
each month. Special meetings shall be called by the president, or, in 
his absence, the vice-president, upon a written application made to him 
by five members, In case of a call of a special meeting printed or 
written notices shall be sent to each member of the corps. 

At all meetings fifteen members shall constitute a quorum. 

Order of Business. 
On taking the chair, the president shall call the meeting to order 
when the business shall proceed in the following order: 
Calling the roll. 



Reading the minutes of the last meeting for adoption. 

Collection of dues and fines. 

Reports of standing committees. 

Reports of special committees. 

Propositions and reading applications for new committees. 

Electing new members. 

Unfinished business. 

New business. 

Motion to adjourn. 



Rules of Debate. 
The rules of debate shall, as near as practicable, confirm to those 
adopted by the United States House of Representatives. 



30 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

ARTICLE XVII. 

Standing Committees and Their Duties. 

There shall be appointed by the president and elected by the corps, 
on the first Monday of each January, who shall serve for one year from 
the day of their appointment and election, the following committees, viz. : 

Finance Committee. 

A committee of three on finance, to be appointed by the president, 
whose duty it shall be to audit all accounts, and pass them over to the 
treasurer for payment. They shall see that the expenditure does not 
exceed the income, and report at each monthly meeting. 

Court-Martial Committee. 

A Court-Martial Committee of seven shall be elected, collectively, 
by a majority vote, whose duty shall be to hear the excuses of delin- 
quents, with full power to remit fines and order expulsions. 

This committee shall report the fines to the treasurer and the expelled 
members to the president while in the chair, who shall order the secre- 
tary to erase the names of the expelled members from the roll. 

ARTICLE XVIII. 

Duties of the Secretary and Treasurer. 

The secretary shall be present at each meeting, take down the pro- 
ceedings iti writing, keep the original roll signed by the members, 
attend to the printing and sending of notices. The treasurer shall 
collect the dues and fines, pay all the accounts audited by the Finance 
Committee, and report at each meeting. 

ARTICLE XIX. 

Offences, Consequences for Non- Appearance Before Court Martial, 

etc. 
Each instructor of a squad and each commissioned and non-commis- 
sioned officer of a company shall take note of all offences and report the 
offenders to the Court Martial Committee, who shall give such offenders 
reasonable notice to appear before them for trial ; and if such offenders 
refuse to appear at the time specified, unless detained by absence from 
the city or by sickness, they shall be expelled; and in all cases where 
the penalty of expulsion has been incurred, the president shall order 
the secretary to erase the name of the expelled member from the roll. 
Sickness, absence from the city, or doing United States or State duty, 
shall be received as an excuse for non-attendance from drill, meeting, 
or parade. 



B Y-LA WS OF NE W YORK ZOUA FES. 3 1 

ARTICLE XX. 

Arrears and Dues. 

Any member in arrears for fines or dues for two months shall be ex- 
pelled. The dues shall be twelve dollars per year, payable monthly. 

ARTICLE XXI. 

Sickness of Members, Pecuniary Aid, etc. 

In case of sickness of any member, a committee of two shall be ap- 
pointed by the president to call upon him and ascertain if such member 
is in need of assistance, and, in case the committee shall report that he 
is in need of pecuniary aid, it shall be granted him out of the funds of 
the corps, to the extent of four dollars per week, exclusive of medical 
attendance. 

ARTICLE XXII. 

Assessments, Alterations of By-Laws. 

Proposed assessments shall be per capita, and adopted by a majority 
vote. These by-laws shall not be altered or changed, except by a two- 
third vote of the whole corps; and not then unless thirty days' previous 
notice in writing shall have been given of the proposed alteration. 

ARTICLE XXIII. 

Until the election of officers one instructor shall be appointed by a 
majority vote of the corps. A set of rules and regulations to govern 
the conduct of members while at drill, shall be hereafter adopted by the 
corps with offences described, and penalties for each offence attached 
thereto. 

Civil Officers and Standing Committees. 

Rush C Hawkins, President (and treasurer, pro tern). 
Jas. J. Delaney, Vice-President. 
Henry Barclay, Secretary, pro tem. 

Committee on Military Instruction and Lectures. 

Hawkins, Boese, Parisen, 

Walsh, Copcutt, Macauley, 

Higginson. 

Court-Martial Committee. 

Delaney, Barclay, Graham, 

Frank, O. Parisen, LeBaire, 

Tooker. 



CHAPTER II. 

ORGANIZATION OF CIVIL CLUB DRILL MASTER 

SERGT BENZONI — FIRST SHOT OF THE CIVIL 

WAR FIRING ON FORT SUMTER FIRST 

OFFER OF NEW YORK TROOPS ORGANIZA- 
TION OF 9TH N. Y. VOLUNTEERS FIELD 

OFFICERS CASTLE GARDEN RIKERS IS- 
LAND SEVERE DRILLS — NEW UNIFORM — 

INSPECTION BY GEN'L JOHN A. DIX OFF 

FOR FORTRESS MONROE — PRESENTATION OF 
FLAGS IN FIFTH AVENUE — ARRIVAL AT 
NEWPORT NEWS. 

A SUFFICIENT number of men were 
soon enrolled and the organization 
of a civil club, the governing body pro tem, 
completed. No .military officers were elected, 
all members for the present being privates. 
The officers appointed to drill the company 
to-day took their places in the ranks to-morrow, 
and observed the same attention to the orders 
of the newly appointed officers as had been 
accorded to them. 

Through the courtesy of the commanding 
officer at Governors Island, the services of a 



SERGEANT BENZONI. S3 

most thorough and efficient drill sergeant of 
the regular army were procured. The sergeant 
acted as general instructor and drill-master. 
At each drill, he designated the acting captains, 
lieutenants, sergeants and corporals. This 
system permitted each member to acquire prac- 
tice and receive instruction in all grades of an 
infantry company. 

In addition to this system of instruction the 
scheme embraced, on the nights when the regu- 
lar instructor was not present, the detailing of 
different members of the company to act as 
instructors at the regular out or indoor drill. 
This gave to the youngsters confidence and 
educated them in the necessary habit of com- 
mand. 

No member of the New York Zouaves can 
ever forget his old drill-master, Sergeant Louis 
Benzoni, and each can recall the picture of the 
erect old soldier marching back and forth in 
front of the line of green recruits, snapping out 
his orders and directions in his quaint military 
broken English, doing his facings and going 
through the manual of arms with such vim, 
finish, and correctness, that they were more 
inclined to regard him as a perfect piece 
of machinery, than mere human flesh and 
blood. Sergeant Benzoni constantly strove by 
his exaggerations to make his lessons in pos- 



34 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

tures and movements impressive and valuable 
to his pupils, and each considering them the 
requisite of perfection to be attained, earnestly 
tried to imitate them. 

He was a consummate manualist, exact and 
exacting, and as to the school of the company, 
could handle men as well as he could the 
musket. He was very much in earnest and 
would admit of no inattention. 

The result of his work as shown in the drill 
and discipline of the regiment which these 
young men organized and officered at the 
commencement of the civil war, proved that 
Sergeant Benzoni, "builded better than he 
knew." 

Headquarters were first established at the 
Mercer House, but later the organization moved 
to the corner of Fourth and Thompson Streets, 
where the Judson Memorial Church now stands, 
and on which historic spot the regiment known 
as the Ninth New York Volunteers (Hawkins 
Zouaves) was organized. 

Washington Parade Ground was across the 
street from the quarters, and was used by the 
Zouaves as a drill-ground. Their novel and 
interesting manoeuvres were eagerly watched 
by crowds of interested spectators. In this 
routine work — morning and evening drills be- 
ing the daily practice — the company continued 



FIRST SHOT OF THE CIVIL WAR. 35 

until the firing on Fort Sumter, April 12, 1861, 
which is popularly called " the first shot of the 
war." 

As a matter of history, it may be interesting 
to state that in January, 1861, the sole force of 
the United States Army in Barrancas Barracks, 
Pensacola Harbor, Florida, was company G, 
First Artillery, commanded by Captain John H. 
Winder, with Lieutenants Slemmer and Gil- 
man. Winder was later brigadier-general in 
the Confederate service, and well known in con- 
nection with the military prisons of the South. 
It was rumored that troops from Alabama and 
Florida were nearly ready to seize the navy 
yard and forts, and on the morning of January 
8th, Lieutenant Slemmer moved all the powder 
to the inner magazines of Fort Barrancas, caused 
all the batteries to be put in working order, and 
that night, for the first time, placed a sergeant's 
guard in the fort with the draw-bridge raised. 

About midnight a party of twenty men came 
to the fort to take possession, expecting to find 
it unoccupied as usual. Being challenged, and 
not answering or halting when ordered, the 
guard fired upon them, when they turned and 
ran toward Warrington. The long roll beat, 
and the company double-quicked to the fort, 
but too late to capture the enemy. This was 
the first gun in the war on the Union side. 



36 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The next morning, January 9th, at 9.30 o'clock 
the steamer " Star of the West," with two hun- 
dred troops and supplies for Fort Sumter, was 
fired upon from a masked battery on Morris 
Island, Charleston Harbor, and forced to put 
about and go to sea. 

At 4.30 o'clock a. M., April 12, 1861, Captain 
George S. James, commanding the battery at 
James Island (Fort Johnson) fired a shell from 
a ten inch mortar at Fort Sumter. It burst 
about one hundred feet above the fort, and was 
followed by a general bombardment from all 
the encircling batteries. 

The entire North was in a white heat of ra^e 
and excitement on receipt of this startling 
news. 

About noon on the 15th of April the bulletin 
boards of the daily newspapers announced the 
call of President Lincoln for seventy-five thou- 
sand volunteers to assist in putting down the 
rebellion. Soon after, members of the com- 
pany — G. A. C. Barnett being the first — com- 
menced calling upon Mr. Hawkins, the president 
of the organization, for the purpose of urging 
immediate action and tender of services. They 
notified other members, and that night there 
was a meeting of a majority of the members at 
the armory. It was brief, lively and patriotic. 
No speeches were made and none were neces- 



FIRST OFFER OF NEW YORK' TROOPS. 37 

sary. Inside the walls of that ramshackle old 
building every cubic inch of air was filled with 
earnest resolve and manly determination to do, 
and if necessary to die in the cause of their 
country. It was resolved to commence recruit- 
ing for a regiment at once, and the president, 
Hawkins, was authorized to proceed to Albany 
to make a tender of service, and to obtain 
permission to raise a regiment. He took the 
eleven o'clock train that night, and at a few 
minutes after seven o'clock, the morning of the 
sixteenth of April, was sitting on the steps of 
the capitol leading to the executive chamber 
waiting for the arrival of the Governor, who 
came to his office a few minutes after. The 
business in hand was attended to in the 
most direct manner and no words wasted. The 
Governor, under existing laws of the State, was 
not authorized to grant official authority, but 
gave verbal permission to go ahead. The 
interview closed by his saying: "Yours is the 
first tender of services I have had." 

At the time this matter was not regarded as 
being of any importance, but since the close of 
the war many claims about " Firsts " have been 
submitted, and this has been taken from its 
slumber in the recesses of memory for the 
purpose of keeping company with the others. 

When President Hawkins reached New 



38 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

York upon his return, he found a recruiting 
office already opened in the company rooms, 
and the members of the company busily en- 
gaged in the work of enrolling recruits. Appli- 
cants presented themselves in such numbers 
that the success of the movement was assured 
from the very beginning. The work of organi- 
zing the regiment was proceeded with at once. 
More than enough men from the old company 
enlisted to provide officers for nine companies. 
The surplus was distributed among the com- 
panies as non-commissioned officers. The 
positions and rank of line-officers were decided 
by mutual agreement among the members of 
the old company. The field and staff positions, 
excepting that of colonel, were left open for the 
present, to be filled later. 

Mr. Hawkins became colonel, not only by the 
voice of the company officers, but by virtue 
of the authority conferred upon him by the 
Governor. His experience and knowledge of 
military affairs was not strictly confined to such 
theories as might be acquired in the ranks of 
citizen organizations, as he had, while still a 
youth, during the Mexican War, served a term 
of enlistment in the United States Cavalry. 
The experience gained during that period of 
service was of great assistance to him in the 
present emergency. 



ORGANIZATION OF THE NINTH N. V. VOLS. 39 

Andrew S. Graham was chosen senior captain, 
followed in the order named by William G. 
Barnett, Eugene Li Baire, Otto Parisen, etc. 

Recruits were enrolled so rapidly that the 
captains were enabled to select from the large 
number only those who in their judgment 
seemed best adapted, physically and mentally, 
for soldiers. 

The companies having been organized, and 
non-commissioned officers appointed, six com- 
panies were, on April 23, 1861, sworn into the 
State service, and the remaining four on April 
27th. 

The tenth company, Captain Edward Jardine, 
was taken into the regiment as a complete or- 
ganization. The captain had not been a mem- 
ber of the old company, but had some military 
experience, having served his time as a militia- 
man in the 7th Reg. N. G. S. N. Y. 

The positions of field and staff officers were 
now to be filled. George F. Betts (a son of 
Judge Betts) was commissioned lieutenant- 
colonel. He was a well known New York 
lawyer, a U. S. Commissioner, and clerk of the 
U. S. Circuit Court for the Southern District of 
New York, and had been a field officer in the 
militia for many years. He was considered an 
excellent tactician in battalion movements. 

The position of major was filled by Edgar A. 



40 XINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Kimball, a native of Vermont, who at that time 
occupied a position in the N. Y. Custom House. 
He was a veteran of the Mexican War, wherein 
he had greatly distinguished himself, having 
been brevetted for gallant and meritorious con- 
duct at Contreras and Cherubusco. 

Another Mexican veteran, James W. Evans, 
was commissioned adjutant. 

The surgeon chosen was George H. Hum- 
phreys who, while yet a medical student, had 
served with the British Army during the 
Crimean War, and had further served with the 
French Army in the war with Austria. 

The assistant surgeon, Dr. J. P. P. White, was 
also appointed at this time. He proved to be 
an excellent surgeon and a most thorough, 
painstaking, conscientious and humane gentle- 
man. 

These gentlemen were chosen from among a 
number of competitors for the various positions 
named, after careful deliberation and investiga- 
tion by Colonel Hawkins, as to fitness, character, 
antecedents, etc. Their records during the war 
showed the wisdom of the choice. 

On May 4, 1861, the entire regiment was 
sworn into the service of the United States by 
Captain Hayman of the regular army, and was 
officially designated as 9th New York Volunteer 
Infantry. 



CASTLE GARDEN. 41 

Up to this time much dissatisfaction and in- 
convenience had been experienced by the regi- 
ment from unsuitable quarters. The corner of 
Fourth and Thompson Streets, Center Market, 
Astor's Riding Ring, on Lafayette Place, and 
Castle Garden, were successively assigned it 
for that purpose, the latter being the only place 
that was at all suitable. Previous to having 
these quarters assigned there was no permanent 
location ; the company rooms at Fourth and 
Thompson Streets were not large enough to 
accommodate the regiment and the men were 
compelled to return to their homes each night. 
Consequently there had been little if any oppor- 
tunity for drill. For many years previous to 1861, 
Castle Garden had been used as a public theatre, 
where operas, concerts and entertainments of 
like character were given. It was here that 
Jenny Lind first sang in public before starting 
on her famous American tour, under the man- 
agement of P. T. Barnum. Just previous to the 
breaking out of the war the building had been 
acquired by the State of New York and used as 
an emigrant depot, but no alterations had been 
made in the interior. The State assigned the 
building to the New York Zouaves as quarters, 
and on the following Sunday — for the first time 
since the days of the Revolution when it was a 
government fortification — religious services were 



42 XI NTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

held in the place by the chaplain of the regi- 
ment, Rev. T. W. Conway, who later became 
Superintendent of Freedmen in the Department 
of the South. The various companies were 
assigned to different parts of the auditorium ; 
and thus Castle Garden became the home and 
a wooden theatre bench became the bed of the 
new soldiers. While the regiment had not 
yet received its arms, a sufficient number of 
muskets were procured to arm the guard. 

Here there was an opportunity to settle 
down to the work of properly forming the 
regiment. Details were regularly made for 
guard duty ; the ceremony of guard mount was 
performed after a fashion ; sentries, after being 
carefully instructed in their duties, were posted 
at various points, and while a great deal of 
liberty was allowed and passes freely given, the 
men began to feel some of the restraints of 
military life. 

Even at this early period of service indivi- 
dual traits began to be noticeable among 
the boys. The painstaking could be easily 
distinguished from the careless, and the public- 
spirited from the selfish. A case in illustra- 
tion is the following: Two members of Com- 
pany D who believed in keeping their company 
quarters clean and in a condition always ready 
for inspection, and who at the same time de- 



"SETTING UP" THE RECRUITS. 43 

sired to set an example for the others in the 
company, regularly swept, cleaned and dusted 
the company benches and cushions in the " dress 
circle," snaking and folding the blankets of many 
of their comrades, who would as regularly 
" shake " themselves free from their blankets 
and stalk haughtily away to more interesting 
and less menial occupations. This continued 
for some days until the junior member of the 
quarters-cleaning firm remarked that he thought 
" it time for a change." " Never mind," quoth 
the senior member, " before long they will be 
shaking and cleaning for us." Prophetic words ! 
Before long the senior member of the firm be- 
came First Sergeant Horner, and proceeded to 
shake and dust Company D in a way that 
opened its eyes. A few months later the junior 
member also got his stripes, and Corporal Sear- 
ing found it his turn to insist on thorough police 
work by the former laggards. 

The task of "setting up" and drilling was 
now begun in earnest. The companies were 
divided into squads and each, under the com- 
mand of an officer, was carefully instructed in 
the preliminaries of military drill. The position 
of the soldier, the facings and marchings were 
gone over in the minutest detail, and in a very 
few days the improvement in the bearing and 
carriage of the men was especially noticeable. 



44 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Sentries were stationed at the gates and in- 
structed to admit only members of the regi- 
ment, and so attentive were the men to their 
duties that, on their departure for Riker's Island, 
no one would have recognized them as the 
green recruits of three weeks ago. 

On May 15 the regiment left Castle Garden 
for Riker's Island, where commodious barracks 
had recently been erected. Large crowds had 
assembled at the Battery, and amidst their deaf- 
ening cheers the " Ninth" marched aboard the 
transport. 

The 2d New York were in line at the water's 
edge, their drum corps beating a salute in re- 
sponse to that of the Ninth, while Captain Mott's 
battery of two 1 2-pounder howitzers gave a fare- 
well salute of eleven rounds, and the greatest 
enthusiasm continued until the Zouaves disap- 
peared from view up the East River. 

Arriving at their destination about noon of 
the same day, the regiment disembarked and 
found the new quarters all that could be 
desired for their accommodation. They at 
once entered upon the long and tedious daily 
drills, both officers and men settling down 
seriously to the difficult task of creating a regi- 
ment which would be equal to the occasion when 
called upon in the day of trial. It is deliber- 
ately and positively asserted that this organi- 



SEVERE DRILLS. 45 

zation was at this time unique in its freedom 
from the serio-comic experiences of nearly all 
new regiments resulting from lack of knowledge 
of military matters among officers and men. 
The ludicrous effect of officers, totally ignorant of 
the first rudiments of military tactics, endeavor- 
ing to teach the manual to men as uninformed 
as themselves, was never seen at any time in the 
"Ninth." The officers thoroughly understood 
the theory and practice of the school of the sol- 
dier and of the company, and were also well 
posted in battalion movements. In teaching 
the men they started at the beginning and not 
in the middle. The first instructions were in 
the position of a soldier. They were directed 
how to stand correctly, and informed why a cer- 
tain posture and position was necessary. The 
drill in positions, facings and marching were 
repeated twice each day without arms, and con- 
tinued daily until the men had acquired perfect 
confidence and freedom from hesitation and in- 
decision. Muskets were then distributed and 
the same care exercised in the instruction of the 
manual of arms. The men were advanced step 
by step. The reason why each movement 
should be performed strictly according to the 
manual was explained, and their minds were 
impressed with the fact that such movements 
could be performed with more rapidity, and the 



46 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

arms handled with more efficiency by strictly 
observing the instructions given. 

The result of this careful drilling by officers 
who understood what they were teaching was 
soon shown by the soldierly appearance the 
regiment presented on evening parade, and 
when it marched down Broadway on the 5th of 
June, under orders for Fortress Monroe, it is 
safe to state, and without fear of contradiction, 
that for accuracy in the manual, general knowl- 
edge of drill, and steadiness in marching, it sur- 
passed any regiment of citizen soldiers that had 
ever marched down that famous thoroughfare. 

When the task of raising and equipping the 
regiment had only just begun the Colonel 
feared that the State authorities would not be 
reliable in relation to the important essentials 
involved in the great emergency. So without 
authority or consultation he took the liberty 
and responsibility of making contracts for every 
item — save blankets, overcoats and arms — neces- 
sary to the launching of a regiment, and when 
all contracts were fulfilled, the regiment clothed 
and equipped, the cost per man was about 
$21.50, instead of about double that amount 
paid by the State for "shoddy" uniforms alone, 
which commenced to fall to pieces as soon as 
the wearers reached the field. The uniforms 
supplied to the regiment by private contract 



NEW UNIFORMS. 47 

were made of the best material obtainable at the 
time, and lasted in fairly good condition through 
the whole of the first summer in the field. While 
here at Riker's Island the uniforms were issued 
to the regiment. They were of what is com- 
monly called the Zouave pattern : close, easy- 
fitting, permitting full action of body and arms, 
artistic in form and picturesque, but of modest 
tone; of army blue, the trousers slightly full, 
plaited at the waist, with a magenta braid down 
the outer seam ; jacket and vest with magenta 
trimmings, a sash of the same color of woolen 
material, wide enough to cover the stomach and 
bowels of the wearer ; white leggings, and red 
fez with a blue tassel. It was totally different 
from the uniforms issued by the United States 
authorities, and no nattier one was worn by any 
body of troops in the service. 

Previous to the departure of the regiment the 
news agents of New York City, with whom 
Major Kimball had formerly been associated in 
a business way, presented him with a handsome 
sword. Later a magnificent pair of epaulettes 
came from friends in the custom house, as a 
token of their esteem for his faithfulness, and 
for his patriotism to his country. 

The entire regiment had been vaccinated by 
the surgeons, and its sanitary condition pro- 
nounced most satisfactory. Being fully armed 



48 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and equipped an inspection and review was 
ordered. 

On the first day of June Major-General John 
A. Dix, commanding the department, accom- 
panied by Colonel Keyes of the regular service, 
reviewed the regiment after it had executed an 
intricate battalion drill. 

It was drawn up in line of battle, and after 
dress parade, was inspected by the General, who, 
as he passed up and down the line, expressed 
his satisfaction in most flattering terms. He in- 
formed Colonel Hawkins that he was extremely 
gratified with the completeness of all details, 
and at the review after inspection expressed 
himself as delighted at the perfection in march- 
ing displayed by the men, and their proficiency 
in drill, knowing what a short time their brief 
stay in camp had allowed for instruction. The 
General was proud that such a fine body of 
young men had been assigned to his command, 
and said he hoped and believed that the regi- 
ment would one day distinguish itself. 

On June ist the Colonel issued an order 
which permitted friends of the regiment to visit 
" Camp Hawkins," as the camp on the island 
was designated, and on the following Sunday a 
large number of friends, relatives and others 
availed themselves of the privilege. 

The camp presented a gala appearance ; the 



IN CAMP ON PIKER'S ISLAND. 49 

barracks and company streets being decorated 
with patriotic designs in evergreens, and gay 
festoons of red, white and blue, each company 
having its peculiar novelty. 

Company A was presented with a national 
flag by Sgt. George W. Debevoise, while Com- 
panies C, D and G each received a set of colors 
from friends of the respective companies, the 
ceremonies taking place on the parade ground, 
and being much enjoyed by the host of inter- 
ested spectators. 

The month passed on Rikers Island was — 
if the continuous and severe drills are left out 
of consideration — one continuous picnic. Each 
company vied in its endeavor to excel its neigh- 
bor in the tasteful decorations of the company 
streets. There were always numerous visitors 
in the afternoons, and on stated occasions when 
general visiting was permitted, the camp was 
crowded with friends and relatives of both 
sexes, who loudly applauded the drilling on the 
parade ground. The Zouaves were conscious 
of the fact that they were the cynosure of all 
eyes, and were looked upon as real soldiers ; 
they were in a military camp and presumed 
they were living the lives of genuine soldiers. 
Their mothers, sisters, and young women friends 
were sympathetic and inclined to coddle and 
pet these poor boys, who were undergoing such 



50 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

hardships and privations from pure patriotism 
and for their country's good ; and they, " the 
beggars," accepted all this as their due, and 
tried to make themselves believe that they were 
in some degrees heroes, whereas they were 
really having an enjoyable time. Comfortably 
housed, with an abundance of good food, with- 
out the trouble of preparing it, they were nearly 
as well off as a modern militia regiment in a 
State camp. 

Orders finally came for the Ninth to proceed 
to Fortress Monroe, and at noon on Wednes- 
day, June 5th, the regiment left Riker's Island, 
aboard a steamer, and sailed for New York. 
Landing at the foot of East 30th Street, after 
much delay in effecting their alignments — due 
to the crowd which had gathered to greet them — 
the regiment marched to the residence of Mr. 
A. W. Griswold, where it was halted, formed in 
line, and brought to attention. Rev. Gardiner 
Spring came forward with a beautiful stand of 
colors, and made the following remarks : 

" Colonel Hawkins, Officers and Soldiers of the Ninth Regiment, 
New York Volunteers — I have been requested by Mrs. Griswold, now 
here, to present to you this splendid emblem of our nationality, and I 
desire to do this with a few introductory remarks. I, who for over 
fifty years, have been enlisted under the banner of the Prince of Peace, 
find myself exactly in such a novel position as yourselves, who have 
enlisted in the noble cause of defending your country against a band 
of outlaws, who defying all laws of righteousness, are striving to 
overthrow this, the happiest government on earth. 

"Secession dates back as far as the days when the ten tribes of 



FLAG PRESENTATION. 51 

Israel were lost, and even further, for the devil himself was a seces- 
sionist. 

" I look upon this vile controversy as the most wicked ever gotten 
up by man. I give you my blessing. The blessings and prayers of 
the whole civilized world are with you. I pledge myself that the 
prayers and blessings of the Brick Church shall not be wanting. 

" May the God of battles be with you, and in the hour of danger 
hover over you. Accompanying this flag is a letter from Mrs. 
Griswold, which I will now read for you, as follows: 

" ' No. 381 Fifth Avenue, June 5th, 1861. 
Colonel Hawkins, Commandant of the Ninth Regiment, New York 
Volunteers. 

Colonel, — I have the honor to present to you for your gallant regi- 
ment of Zouaves these colors. 

The Union of which this flag is the emblem was established by our 
fathers. Its cost was the price of blood. To their children they have 
confided the trust of guarding and upholding it. What obligation can 
be more sacredly binding upon them ? For more than three-fourths of 
a century this ensign has commanded the respect of every people, on 
land and sea, and wherever civilization is known, even penetrating the 
dark corners of the earth, carrying light and freedom with it. While 
thirty millions of people under its folds were enjoying life, liberty and 
happiness, as no other people ever did, foul traitors have raised their 
fratricidal hands against it. 

The Government has called upon its loyal citizens to come to its 
defense. 

The alacrity and zeal with which you and others have responded 
to that call awaken in our hearts the liveliest emotions and gratitude, 

It is beyond our province to follow this standard to the battle field; 
but we can and will follow with our prayers and blessings those who 
bear it, imploring Him who holds in his hands the destiny of nations 
to protect and preserve those who stand by their country's flag in its 
hour of peril; and that He will speedily restore reason and loyalty to 
that rash and misguided people who have assailed it. Accept for your- 
self, and your noble regiment of Zouaves, my kind wishes. 

Mary Adelaide Griswold,'" 

In a voice tremulous with emotion, Colonel 
Hawkins in a few appropriate words thanked 
Mrs. Griswold for the flag, and solemnly prom- 
ised that he and his regiment would protect it 
with their lives if necessary to save it from 



S2 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

humiliation or surrender, and that it should 
return with them unblemished. 

The color-bearer then received the flag and 
it was exhibited to the Zouaves. It was of silk, 
handsomely mounted, and was a most beautiful 
as well as expensive token. 

On the lance surmounting the staff was a 
square plate of silver, upon which was engraved, 

Presented by 
Mrs. Alma W. Griswold, 

TO THE 

Ninth Regiment New York Volunteers, 

June 5TH, 1861. 

Lexington, April 19TH, 1776. 

Baltimore, April icjth, 1S61. 

MEMORIA IN STERNA. 

The regiment then wheeled into column and 
marched to the residence of Mrs. William B. 
Moffat, where again swinging into line, another 
standard was presented. 

The Rev. Dr. Wiley, of Christ Church, repre- 
sented Mrs. Moffat, and in a touching address, 
delivered the flag into the custody of Colonel 
Hawkins, who, in accepting it, in well-chosen 
and patriotic language, again pledged himself 
and the Zouaves to defend the colors with their 
lives if necessary, and to bring them back un- 
tainted by dishonor. 

The standard was six feet by eight, made of 



OFF FOR THE FRONT. S3 

double silk of solid red. Great taste was dis- 
played in its design. 

Upon the centre was this inscription : 

Ninth Regiment, New York Volunteers. 
Toiijours Pret. 

This motto has since become the watchword 
of the Zouaves, and true to its test they were 
found to be "Always Ready." 

Once more the regiment wheeled into column 
and resumed the march down the avenue to 
Broadway. The sidewalks along the entire 
route were packed with citizens, who, from 
Union Square to the Battery, gave them an 
ovation which will never be forgotten, and 
caused each man to mentally resolve that he 
would never bring disgrace on the beautiful 
standards or on the city which gave him so 
proud a farewell. 

Arriving at Pier 4, North River, the regiment 
experienced the greatest difficulty in forcing its 
way through the masses of people there gath- 
ered. Colonel Hawkins deemed it unsafe to 
proceed to sea in what he considered the 
crowded condition of the " Marion," the vessel 
supplied by the Quartermaster's Department for 
the transportation of the regiment, and after 
some hours of delay in unwinding red tape 
the "George Peabody"was provided as addi- 



54 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

tional transportation. The two vessels sailed 
on the 6th, but it was not until the 8th of the 
month that they arrived at Fortress Monroe. 

Colonel Hawkins upon reporting to the Com- 
manding General there was ordered to proceed 
to Newport News, where the regiment arrived in 
due course, disembarked, and stacking arms, 
awaited the arrival of their tents and camp 
equipage before establishing a regular camp. 



CHAPTER III. 

ADVANCE ON BIG BETHEL THE FIRST BATTLE 

OF THE WAR — GENERAL CARR'S ACCOUNT 

OF BATTLE OF BIG BETHEL ACCOUNT OF 

MAJOR WINTHROPS DEATH BY A SOUTH- 
ERNER — FORCES ENGAGED AND LOSSES OF 

BOTH SIDES ZOUAVES TO THE FRONT 

COLONEL PHELPS AND HIS PECULIARITIES 
— RIGHT GENERAL GUIDE HERBERT AND HIS 
GRAVE ERROR — TWO ZOUAVES ATTEMPT TO 
GET A " PULL " WITH COLONEL PHELPS. 

UPON the arrival of the camp equipage, tents 
were pitched in a wheat field, in which 
the grain was almost ready for the sickle. This 
was trampled down to make place for the tents, 
which the men, after considerable difficulty, 
being only amateurs in the business, succeeded 
in erecting, and established their camp after a 
fashion. On the day following, Sunday, June 
9th, a beautiful summer day, tents were struck 
and camp was moved to a point west of the 
breastworks and on a line with them and near 
the brink of the high wooded bank overlooking 
the James river. The camp was here laid out 



S6 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

in approved regulation style. It was an ideal 
location. There was considerable shade from 
the trees bordering the steep bank of the river, 
abundance of good water near at hand, and the 
ground smooth and with slope enough to secure 
good drainage. 

The next day was extremely hot and sultry. 
It was a memorable one in the annals of the 
'war, for on that day occurred the first engage- 
ment in the Rebellion which deserved to be 
called a battle, and which proved disastrous to 
the Union side. 

At a point nine miles from Fortress Monroe, 
on the road leading from Hampton to York- 
town, lay the little town of Bethel, probably 
taking its name from the church located there. 
It was known that the enemy had intrenched 
and was holding the road at this point ; upon 
learning which Gen. B. F. Butler decided to 
attack him there. A creek crossed the road 
near the church. A bridge over this creek was 
commanded by a fortification of the enemy, held 
by Col. D. H. Hill, of North Carolina (later 
Lieutenant-General C. S. A.) and 500 men. A 
personal reconnoissance of the topography of the 
country had been made by Major Theodore 
Winthrop, of General Butler's staff, and the 
following memorandum for the attacking move- 
ment was drawn up. 



FIRST BATTLE OF THE REBELLION. 57 

*" A regiment or battalion to march from Newport News, and a regi- 
ment to march from Camp Hamilton (Duryea's). Each will be sup- 
ported by sufficient reserves under arms in camp, and with advanced 
guards out on the road of march. 

" Duryea to push out two picket posts at 10 p.m. ; one two and a half 
miles beyond Hampton, on the county road, but not so far as to alarm 
the enemy. This is important. Second picket half as far as the first. 
Both pickets to keep as much out of sight as possible. No one whatever 
to be allowed to pass out through the lines. Persons to be allowed to 
pass inward toward Hampton, unless it appears that they intend to go 
round about and dodge through to the front. 

"At 12— midnight— Colonel Duryea will march his regiment, with 
sufficient ammunition, on the county road toward Little Bethel. Scows 
will be provided to ferry them across Hampton Creek. March to be 
rapid, but not hurried. A howitzer with canister and shrapnel to go. 
A wagon with planks and material to repair the Newmarket bridge. 
Duryea to have the two hundred rifles; he will pick the men to whom 
to entrust them. Rocket to be thrown up from Newport News. Notify 
Commodore Prendergrast of this to prevent general alarm. 

" Newport News movement to be made somewhat later, as the dis- 
tance is less. 

" If we find the enemy and surprise them, men will fire one volley, if 
desirable, not reload, and go ahead with the bayonet. As the attack is 
to be by night or dusk of morning, and in two detachments, our people 
should have some token— say a white rag or dirty white rag on the left 
arm. 

' ' Perhaps the detachments who are to do the job should be smaller 
than a regiment— three hundred or five hundred— as the right and left 
of the attack would be more easily handled. If we bag the Little Bethel 
men, push on to Big Bethel, or blow up, if brick. To protect our rear 
—in case we take the field-pieces, and the enemy should march his 
main body (if he has any) to recover them— it would be well to have a 
squad of competent artillerists, regular or other, to handle the captured 
guns on the retirement of our main body; also spikes to spike them, if 
retaken. George Scott to have a shooting iron. 

"Perhaps Duryea's men would be awkward with a new arm in a 
night or early dawn attack, where there will be little marksman duty to 
perform. 

" Most of the work will be done with the bayonet, and they are al- 
ready handy with the old ones." 

Butler goes on to say that he could not go 
with the command himself, and selected his 

*From Butler's Book, page 267. 



58 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

next officer in rank, General Pierce, of Massa- 
chusetts. It was his desire to place Colonel 
Phelps in command, as the more competent 
officer, but unfortunately there were one or two 
colonels outranking Phelps, who were no more 
qualified than Pierce, and he did not like to do 
these officers an apparent injustice, and besides 
did not think the enterprise at all difficult with 
six of his men to one of the enemy. As this 
was the first engagement of the war it may be 
interesting to give a condensed account of the 
operations from an article published in the 
Century Magazine, from the pen of the late Gen. 
Joseph B. Carr: 

"June 10, 1 86 1, was the disastrous fight at 
Big Bethel. Sunday noon, June 9th, General 
Ebenezer W. Pierce was ordered to Butler's 
headquarters and shown a plan of attack on 
both Little and Big Bethel. Minute directions 
were given for conducting the attack, and Pierce 
assigned to command. March began at mid- 
night, June 9th. Pierce was to lead one column 
from Camp Hamilton to a point near Little 
Bethel, where the column from Newport News 
was to meet him, and together they were 
to surprise both Bethels. The troops were 
the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 7th New York, de- 
tachments from the 4th Massachusetts and 1st 
Vermont, and a detachment from the United 



AD VANCE ON BIG BE THEL . 5 9 

States Regular Artillery (n men) with two 
field-pieces, under command of Lieutenant 
Greble. We had, I think, not less than 3,500 
men. The watchword, ' Boston,' was to be 
shouted when unrecognized troops should ap- 
proach, but Colonel Bendix, of the 7th New York, 
did not receive information on this point. The 
troops were approaching the point of meeting, 
and some had gone to the rear of Little Bethel, 
when Townsend's (3rd New York) and Bendix's 
troops approached each other — a thick wood 
having intervened for part of the march. 
Townsend's men wore gray uniforms, and 
Bendix supposing them to be the enemy, opened 
fire with musketry and one piece of artillery. 
The watchword was shouted but Bendix, being 
ignorant of its meaning, continued firing. Town- 
send retreated a short distance and the error 
was then discovered. Duryea (5th New York) 
and Washburn (1st Vermont) were in advance, 
and hearing the firing supposed the enemy 
were in their rear, and at once fell back. The 
firing had aroused the enemy, and they pre- 
pared for defence so that surprise was out of 
the question. At this time Pierce sent for aid, 
and the 1st and 2nd New York, under Colonels 
Allen and Carr, hurried forward ; the latter to 
await orders at Newmarket bridge. 

"Advancing through Little Bethel, which was 



60 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

evacuated, the troops under Pierce found the 
Confederates occupying a strong position near 
Big Bethel, with earthworks covering the bridge 
which crossed a stream running in front of 
their position. Col. John B. Magruder, was 
in command here with three or four hundred 
men and about five guns. Duryea moved up 
the road on the left of the woods and the fight 
opened by the discharge of a Parrott gun in the 
Confederate works. 

"Greble and his two guns took position on the 
road with Bendix's regiment and three com- 
panies of Massachusetts troops. Duryea went 
through the orchard and cornfield; Townsend 
on his right and rear. The Confederate fire was 
harmless at first, but when the range was found, 
our troops sought the shelter of the woods, 
after a vain attempt to drive the enemy from his 
works. 

"A short time after they sought shelter, about 
1 1 a. m., I arrived with my regiment — a ten-mile 
march through the fearful heat and dragging a 
gun by hand having delayed us since our start 
at 7 a.m. 

"We were surprised and puzzled at the condi- 
tion of the troops. 

"For at least one mile from the scene of action 
the officers and men were scattered, singly and 
in groups, without form or organization, looking 



RE TREA T. BE A TH OF GREBL E. 6 1 

far more like men enjoying a huge picnic than 
soldiers awaiting battle. 

"I reported to Pierce, who consented to give 
me support for a charge on the Confederate 
works. Townsend promptly volunteered to 
support me with his regiment, and started to 
make the necessary preparations. 

" Placing my command on the right and left of 
the road, I was making ready for the charge 
when a message came from General Pierce, 
stating that after consultation with his colonels 
(Butler says all of whom but Duryea voted to 
retire) he found that troops could not be formed 
to make the charge effective, and that during the 
consultation an order had been received from 
General Butler, ordering a retreat, and I was 
commanded to cover the retreat about to com- 
mence. The pursuit made by the Confederates 
was easily checked by the 2nd New York, and 
the men reached camp without further mishaps. 
The only firing occurring after 12 o'clock on 
that day was from the gun brought up by my 
men, and in command of Lieutenant Greble. 

"About one dozen shots had been fired when 
Greble was killed. 

"The gun was abandoned on the field, and 
Greble's body was left beside it. I called for 
volunteers to rescue the gun, and Captain Wil- 
son and his company, of my regiment, re- 



62 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

sponded, and, in the face of the enemy, gallantly 
rescued the gun, bringing it in with Greble's 
body lying on it. 

" Major Winthrop's death during the early part 
of this engagement was a notable event. 
Though unattached to any regiment, he had vol- 
unteered for the expedition, and was killed 
while far in advance of the troops and within 
one hundred yards of the enemy. Butler arrived 
at Hampton Creek to see the men coming in, 
but saw no part of the fight." 

J. Belloore of Richmond wrote to the editors 
of the Century Magazine: 

"Major Winthrop headed a force intending 
to turn our left flank. On our left was a slight 
earthwork. About 75 yards in front of this was 
a rail fence. Our attention was called by cheer- 
ing to his advance. Looking up, we saw the 
Major and two privates on the fence; his sword 
was drawn, and he was calling on his troops to 
follow him. Our first volley killed these three ; 
those following being protected by the peculiar 
formation of the ground were not injured, but 
upon the fall of their leader beat a precipitate 
retreat. 

"I was among the first to reach these men. 
All were dead, having been instantly killed. 
Major Winthrop was shot in the breast, and the 
others in the head. About ten days after, a flag 



FORCES ENGAGED— LOSSES. 63 

of truce came up asking for Winthrop's body. 
Having assisted in burying him I was sent 
with the party to find the body which was given 
to his friends." 

The Union forces engaged were: ist New 
York Vols., Colonel William H. Allen; 2nd 
New York Vols., Colonel Joseph B. Carr; 3rd 
New York Vols., Colonel Frederick Townsend ; 
7th New York Vols., Colonel John E. Bendix ; 
4th Massachusetts Vols., five companies, Major 
H. O. Whitlemore; ist Vermont Vols., five 
companies, Lieut.-Colonel Peter T. Washburn ; 
Regular Artillery (4 guns), Lieut. John T. 
Greble. Confederate forces were: ist North 
Carolina Vols., Colonel Daniel H. Hill ; 3rd 
Virginia Vols., detachment, Lieut.-Colonel 
William D. Stuart; Virginia Cavalry Battalion, 
Maior E. B. Montague; Virginia Howitzer 
Battalion, Major George W. Randolph. 

Union loss, 18 killed, 53 wounded, 5 missing; 
total, 76. 

Confederate loss, 1 killed, 7 wounded; total, 8. 

General Pierce in his report gave the number 
of casualties from Bendix's fire : 2 mortally 
wounded, 3 dangerously, 4 officers, 12 privates 
slightly; total, 21. Magruder's report gives his 
force as 1,400 in all with 1,200 engaged. 

When messengers were sent to Newport 
News for reinforcements, Colonel Phelps 



64 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

issued the necessary orders, and Colonel Haw- 
kins, with Companies A, B and G of the "Ninth," 
at once hastened to Little Bethel, followed 
later by other companies of the regiment. 

These detachments arrived on the field with- 
in a short time of each other, and just as the 
engagement had ended in a disastrous manner 
to our forces. 

In obedience to orders the Zouaves remained 
on the ground until all retreating bodies of 
troops had marched passed them, when Colonel 
Hawkins sent out small detachments, with 
orders to thoroughly search the neighborhood, 
drive in all stragglers, and assist worn out and 
broken down soldiers into our lines. This duty 
was energetically performed, and the " Ninth " 
acting as rear guard, covered the retreat of the 
tired and dispirited forces. After a march of 
twenty-four Virginia miles, over dry and parched 
roads, amidst clouds of dust so thick that a 
comrade's features could not be discerned ten 
feet distant, the regiment reached its old camp 
in not exactly the freshest or most presentable 
condition. 

From this date onward the time was passed 
in drills, scouting duty, picket, guard and kin- 
dred duties ; the boys finding some little oppor- 
tunity for recreation, but beginning to realize 
that the life of a soldier was by no means a 
continuous picnic. 



THE FIRST BRIGADIER. 65 

Colonel Phelps commanded the post of New- 
port News; he was Colonel of the First Vermont 
Vols., but soon was promoted Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. He was a resigned regular army officer. 
In personal appearance he was tall and thin, and 
to the men of the regiment — who were all 
young — seemed quite aged. He was not over 
particular about his dress, was rather democra- 
tic in manner, but a strict disciplinarian. He 
feared no loss of dignity from being brought in 
close contact with his subordinates; was a 
thorough soldier, full of dry witticisms and blunt 
speeches, with considerable biting, yet humor- 
ous sarcasm. 

It is stated that when Colonel Hawkins first 
reported to him the regiment's arrival, he in- 
quired in his high pitched voice and queer Yan- 
kee drawl : "Well, Colonel, what do you intend 
to do with these schoolboys?" Phelps was not 
long in discovering that there was more in 
"these schoolboys" than he suspected; for their 
proficiency in drill and soldierly conduct pleased 
him, and he very soon spoke habitually of the 
regiment as his "Little Zouaves." There were, 
however, no favors granted or expected. He 
kept the regiment at work constantly. In addi- 
tion to the regular drills, considerable recon- 
noitering was deemed necessary, and a large 
share of this duty fell to the lot of the "Ninth." 



66 NINTH REGIMENT. NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Once or twice each week some one of the com- 
panies was sent on a reconnaissance, which famil- 
iarized both officers and men with actual field 
duty and taught them self-reliance. 

The General was soon christened " Daddy 
Phelps" by the enlisted men. He was quite 
odd in his manners, but everybody liked him 
and had entire confidence in his judgment and 
ability. His queer sayings were a source of 
continuous amusement in camp, but when he 
became better understood his stinging satire 
was dreaded by all. He frequently set aside 
all conventionalities and managed affairs in a 
way peculiarly his own. 

On one occasion at a brigade drill, when the 
entire force of the post was in line — six or seven 
regiments — a somewhat intricate movement 
was about to be performed. The " Ninth " 
was on the left of the brigade and was the 
directing regiment, and the individual whose 
duty it was to initiate the movement was the 
right general-guide of that regiment, Sergeant 
Herbert, of Company B, who was rather short 
in stature and somewhat stout. After the Gen- 
eral had carefully explained the mode of per- 
forming the evolution he gave the order and 
command " March." Herbert, whose wits had 
been wool-gathering, or who had been in a 
" brown-study " when the order was given, 



THE SERGEANT'S REPRIMAND. 67 

failed to move, and as a consequence the regi- 
ment " stood fast " while all the other regiments 
moved off. For an instant the General seemed 
paralyzed with astonishment; the appearance of 
the tall old man on the little sorrel horse, with 
the storm of his intense indignation gathering 
on his face may be imagined ; then leaning for- 
ward with an arm outstretched toward the 
offending sergeant, and each word ejaculated 
with such intensity as apparently to lift him 
clear from the saddle, he shouted : " Move ! 
Move ! For God's sake, you little bandy-legged 
man, Move ! " Herbert moved. 

There was no opportunity for a laugh then ; 
it had to be deferred until after drill, when a 
chorus of five hundred voices howled in unison, 
" Move ! Move ! for God's sake, you little 
bandy-legged man, move!" 

This incident ruined Herbert ; though a good 
soldier, and later a lieutenant in the regiment, 
he never could live it down. After serving- 
through the entire term he was mustered out 
with the regiment, then disappeared, and has 
not since been seen. He dared not face the 
ridicule of the " boys." 

Another peculiar phase of Phelps' character 
was shown in the manner he treated an attempt 
to " get solid with the General." 

While the regiment was at Newport News 



68 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the whole country in that vicinity had been de- 
serted by the inhabitants. They evidently were 
fearful of the soldiers and had departed hur- 
riedly, in most instances leaving all household 
property behind them. Everything in the 
shape of furniture, cooking utensils, etc., was 
left in the homes of the people entirely unpro- 
tected. In order to check vandalism the Gen- 
eral had issued strict orders against foramn£. 
Two of Company As boys, who, like most of 
the others in the regiment were from New York 
City, evidently imagined that military orders 
were like city ordinances, only to be observed 
by those who had no " pull." They proceeded 
at once to get their " pull " by cooking to a 
turn a foraged turkey, and nicely arranging it 
on a foraged china platter, with which they 
marched up to headquarters to present it to the 
General. At the moment he was not present, 
but the platter and contents were received by 
the orderly, who was strictly enjoined to inform 
the General whence it came. When the Gen- 
eral returned and his eye fell on the well- 
cooked turkey and the china platter, he ex- 
claimed, "Well! Well! How nice! That is 
really thoughtful ! Orderly, where did that 
come from ? " Saluting, the orderly replied : 
" Two men of Company A, of the Zouaves, sent 
it to you with their compliments, Sir." " My, 



"WORKING A PULL " WITH THE "OLD MAN." 69 

My! " said the General, " how very kind and 
thoughtful. Orderly, go with the corporal of 
the guard, point out the men, and have them 
brought here." The men were very much 
elated when told the General desired to see 
them, and started with alacrity, doubtless think- 
ing the interview would result in an invitation 
to dine with the " old man." 

What actually occurred was about as follows : 

Corporal — "General, these are the men the 
orderly said you wanted." 

General (to men) — " Did you bring these 
things here ? " 

Men (in chorus, promptly) — " Yes, sir." 

General — " That's the way you obey my 
orders against foraging, is it ? Corporal, take 
them to the guard-house ! " 

The two crestfallen Zouaves and the grinning 
corporal marched away, and history does not 
record whether the General ate the turkey or 
not. 

This lesson may not have stopped foraging 
in the Ninth Regiment but it effectually ended 
all attempts to make General Phelps an acces- 
sory. 



CHAPTER IV. 

RECONNAISSANCE BY COMPANIES A AND F 

SKIRMISH WITH THE ENEMY — TROUBLE 
ABOUT THE RELATIVE RANK OF OFFICERS 
— DECIDED BY DRAWING LOTS — GENERAL 
BUTLER SUPERSEDED BY GENERAL WOOL — 
SPECIAL ORDER FOR EXPEDITION TO HAT- 

TERAS INLET THREE COMPANIES OF THE 

NINTH JOIN EXPEDITION ARRIVAL OFF 

HATTERAS — BOMBARDMENT OF FORTS — 

SURRENDER AMOUNT OF MATERIAL 

CAPTURED. 

WHILE the regular drills, parades, and 
other ordinary routine duties of camp 
life continued, the task of reconnoitering the 
adjacent country by companies, or smaller de- 
tachments, was performed at regular intervals. 

The immediate vicinity was occupied by the 
enemy, and it called for extreme alertness and 
watchfulness to guard against surprise and keep 
informed of his movements. 

On June 29, 1861, Company A, Captain 
Graham, was sent out to reconnoiter, as was 
usual. While moving along the road some dis- 



RECONNAISSANCES BY COMPANIES. 7 1 

tance from camp the company suddenly came 
upon two Confederate soldiers, evidently on 
scouting duty. They were gathered in and 
taken before the Colonel. They were dressed 
in a uniform very similar to that worn by 
the 5th N. Y. (Duryea's), and they informed 
their captors that the name of their organization 
was the " Louisiana Tigers." The condition of 
their clothing was such that it was removed 
and burned as a matter of self defense. 

But there were sometimes losses as well as 
captures. A certain regiment at the post had 
frequently reported losses from its companies 
while they were on reconnoitering duty. Colonel 
Phelps finally sent for the colonel of this 
regiment and questioned him as to the cause, 
remarking that while his regiment reported 
losses, the Ninth seldom went out without 
bringing in prisoners. The Colonel could not 
explain this, but the losses from this time were 
less numerous. 

Another reconnaissance was made shortly 
after that of Company A, which brought the 
men to a stern realization of actual warfare and 
the duty of a soldier in the presence of the 
enemy. This was conducted by Captain Ham- 
mill and his Company, F. 

Starting out on the evening of July 3d, they 
bivouacked for the night some distance from 



72 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

camp, and by daybreak the next morning were 
on the road. After marching a short distance 
they suddenly came upon a force of the enemy 
— principally infantry, some cavalry, and at 
least one piece of artillery — which was appar- 
ently on an expedition similar to that in which 
they themselves were engaged. This force was 
still in camp with no pickets posted, and if there 
was a guard at all it was simply a camp guard. 
A lively skirmish at once developed. The 
rebels were thrown into confusion as soon as 
the attack was made, while the men of Company 
F were alert, paying close attention to com- 
mands and attending strictly to the business in 
hand. Some of the enemy evidently supposed 
the attack came from another party of their own 
men, as there were shouts of " Washington ! 
Washington !" ''Arlington ! Arlington!" probably 
the parole and countersign, and cries of "Cease 
firing !" The cavalrymen rushed for their horses, 
mounted, and in wild confusion rode through 
their camp and over their own infantry, who 
held their ground for a few moments only, then 
broke and fled. There were no casualties to 
report in Company F, but later it was learned 
from an item in a Richmond, Va., newspaper, 
which reached the Union camps, that the enemy 
lost in the affair a Colonel Dreux, of Louisiana, 
and one captain killed, and seven or eight pri- 
vates wounded. 



COMPANY A'S PLIGHT. 73 

The Zouaves returned to camp without further 
adventure. 

On another occasion (July 8th) Company A 
was sent to reconnoiter. The command left 
camp late one afternoon, was on the march all 
night in various directions, and just after sun- 
rise on the following morning, encountered the 
enemy's pickets near Warwick Court House. 
These fell back after exchanging a few shots 
with the advancing Zouaves. The main body 
of the detachment, while looking for some 
demonstration in the direction of the retreating 
rebel picket, were about to fall back leisurely, 
feeling that the object of the expedition had been 
accomplished — locating the position of the 
enemy — when they suddenly became aware 
that a large cavalry detachment of the enemy 
was advancing rapidly in their direction. These 
troops were followed by what appeared to be at 
least a regiment of infantry, which was rather 
an unexpected stirring up of a hornet's nest. 
Nothing remained but to seek the cover of the 
woods about an eighth of a mile distant. Being 
outnumbered ten to one an engagement was 
considered foolhardy. The alternative was a 
precipitate retreat with the certainty of a good 
run at first, and the probability of an ultimate 
surrender. While double quicking for shelter 
a bright idea occurred to the captain, and he 



74 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

ordered the bugler to sound, " Rally on the Re- 
serve." At that time both armies used the 
bugle and drum calls of the old U. S. Army, and 
the rebels recognizing the call, halted, adjusted 
their infantry line, and dismounted their cavalry. 

By this time the Zouaves had gained the 
woods, and after proceeding a short distance 
therein were halted, formed into rather a close 
skirmish line, took position behind trees and 
stumps, and prepared to offer such resistance 
as they could to the advancing enemy. Soon 
the snapping of twigs and dry branches under 
the feet of the advancing skirmishers was heard, 
but instead of directly approaching the position 
where the company was concealed and awaiting 
them, they moved diagonally toward the left of 
the line, advancing at an angle of about forty- 
five degrees to the company front, passing its 
left flank, and disappearing in the woods to its 
left and rear. 

This discretionary ruse of the commanding 
officer in ordering his bugler to sound the 
call for rallying on the reserves, showed the 
quick wit and good sense for which he was 
noted. The foolhardiness of attempting de- 
fense against so overwhelming a body of the 
enemy was apparent to everyone. Had they 
been captured, either with or without resistance, 
they would have been certain of a more or less 



TROUBLE ABOUT RANK OF OFFICERS. 73 

protracted stay in Richmond; and while that 
city was the admitted objective point of every 
Union soldier in Virginia, no one cared to visit 
it as a prisoner. 

After the enemy had disappeared from view, 
the company was re-formed, moved still farther 
into the woods, but in the direction of the 
rebel territory, where a halt was ordered, rations 
eaten, and the men, with the exception of the 
guard, permitted to have an hour or two of 
sleep ; after which a bold push was made for the 
James River, where, in case of attack, the atten- 
tion of the gunboats could be attracted and 
assistance secured with little delay. Much to 
the relief of the men of the company the enemy 
was not again seen, and after an exciting day 
and a long march the detachment returned to 
camp at Newport News with no casualties to 
report, but thoroughly tired. 

While at Newport News an unpleasant 
incident occurred, which for a time threatened 
to disturb the harmonious relations among the 
line officers. 

As before stated, the commissioned officers 
in the companies organized at the outbreak of 
the war were chosen from the old corps — the 
"New York Zouaves" — and their positions in 
line apportioned by mutual arrangement; and 
when Captain Jardine's company joined the 



76 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

regiment at Castle Garden, he became in fact 
the junior captain, though all the officers were 
mustered into the United States service on the 
same day. The question of seniority had been 
definitely agreed upon. However, at Newport 
News, Jardine determined to raise the question 
and have it officially settled. In some manner 
the belief had gained currency that the drawing 
of lots by the disputants was the proper mode of 
determining seniority where commissions bore 
the same date, and when none of the officers 
involved had seen former service. 

General Phelps was waited upon by a com- 
mittee of three captains, but declined to interfere 
officially; simply observing: "There should be 
no difficulty among gentlemen in deciding the 
question of rank." Jardine, however, insisted 
upon drawing lots, and the other captains 
agreed to the idea, believing it to be customary. 
As each captain, except Jardine, was satisfied 
with the rank he then held, it was agreed that 
he, Jardine, alone should draw the lot. He 
being junior captain was in any event certain 
of being benefitted by the change. 

There were ten slips of paper placed in a hat, 
each slip bearing a number from i to 10. It 
was agreed that Jardine was to draw from the 
hat one of these slips, and the number appear- 
ing on it should entitle him to hold the corre- 



THE QUEER DRAWING OF LOTS. 11 

sponding rank among the ten captains; the 
captain so displaced should take the rank pre- 
viously held by Jardine — the junior rank. Jar- 
dine thrust in his hand and drew a slip which 
bore the figure one. This relegated Graham to 
the position of junior, his lieutenants occupying 
a similar rank, while Jardine's were correspond- 
ingly advanced. 

Considerable ill-feeling was for a time felt 
and displayed ; the condition being such that 
Graham could have insisted on drawing also, 
but he preferred to let the matter drop. 

A strong belief in the unfairness of the draw- 
ing was afterward created in the minds of 
some of the officers by a remark of a lieutenant 
of the regiment, viz.: " Not one of those captains 
had sense enough to grab one of those slips out 
of the hat and see if there was any other num- 
ber than ' one ' marked upon it." 

On August 17th Major-General John E. Wool 
superseded General Butler in command of the 
department; the latter being placed in com- 
mand of all the troops in the department ex- 
cept the regulars. 

General Butler had for some time been aware 
of the building of the Confederate forts Clark 
and Hatteras, designed by the Confederate 
Government to secure to themselves the con- 
trol of Hatteras Inlet. Having learned through 



78 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

some loyal North Carolinians, who for weeks 
had worked in the forts, of the progess made, 
Butler, knowing their great importance, deter- 
mined their capture if possible. After inform- 
ing General Wool of the situation at Hatteras, 
and explaining his plans for the capture of the 
forts, without calling upon General Scott for 
extra troops, the following order was drawn up 
and signed : 

Headquarters Department of Virginia. 

Fortress Monroe, Va., Aug. 25, 1861. 
Special Order No. 13. 

Major-General Butler will prepare eight hundred and sixty troops for 
an expedition to Hatteras Inlet, North Carolina, to go with Commodore 
Stringham, commanding home squadron, to capture several batteries 
in that neighborhood. 

The troops will be as follows: Two hundred men from Camp Butler 
and six hundred from Camp Hamilton, with a suitable number of com- 
missioned officers, and one Company, "B" of the Second Artillery from 
Fortress Monroe. 

They will be provided with ten days' rations and water and one 
hundred and forty rounds of ammunition. General Butler will report 
as soon as he has his troops prepared, to Flag-Officer Stringham, and he 
will be ready to embark at one o'clock to-morrow. As soon as the 
object of the expedition is attained the detachment will return to 
Fortress Monroe. 

Captain Tallmadge, chief quartermaster, will provide a detachment 
of eight hundred and sixty men, for the expedition to Hatteras Inlet, 
with a suitable quantity of water for ten days' consumption, and the 
chief commissary of subsistence, Captain Taylor, will provide it with 
rations for the same length of time. These officers will report the exe- 
cution of these orders by ten o'clock to-morrow if possible. 
By command of Major-General Wool. 

C. C. CHURCHILL, 
First Lieutenant, Third Artillery, 

Act. Asst. Adjt.-Gen. 

These forts which the expedition was in- 
tended to capture were located at Hatteras 



THE EXPEDITION TO HATTERAS INLET. 79 

Inlet, on the " banks," about nine miles south 
of the Cape. The Inlet was the principal navi- 
gable entrance from the ocean to interior North 
Carolina waters, and through it and Ocracoke 
Inlet, all the commerce of Newbern, Plymouth, 
Washington, and many other ports on Pamlico 
and Albemarle Sounds and adjacent rivers, was 
obliged to pass. It was a point of the greatest 
importance to the Confederate Government to 
retain control of this waterway. 

Companies C, G and H of the Ninth Regi- 
ment, under command of Colonel Hawkins, 
were assigned to the expedition. They em- 
barked on the steamer "Adelaide " August 26, 
and joining the fleet, set sail, arriving off Hat- 
teras on the forenoon of the 27th, where they 
"lay to " until the next day. 

The landing of the men from the transports 
was attempted before daybreak on the morning 
of the 28th, but owing to the extremely heavy 
surf and rapid and dangerous currents, which 
nearly always prevail at this exposed point of 
the coast, but 345 men in all succeeded in reach- 
ing the shore. These belonged principally to 
Company G of the Ninth and to the 20th New 
York. Some half dozen men only of Companies 
C and H succeeded in landing with the others. 
Many of the boats were swamped or water- 
logged, and the energies of Colonel Hawkins 



80 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and Lieutenant Crosby, of the Navy, were di- 
rected toward the dangerous and difficult under- 
taking of saving the lives of the occupants. 
The disembarkation proving to be impracticable, 
any further attempt to land the troops was now 
abandoned. 

Company G, Captain Jardine, had succeeded 
in landing at a point about two miles up the 
coast from Fort Clark, where they were hidden 
from the view of the garrison by a range of 
sand hills. The company gained the beach 
through the heavy surf with great difficulty and 
danger, but happily without loss of life. The 
landing was covered by the guns of the " Mon- 
ticello " and " Harriet Lane," which threw a 
constant stream of shell into the low shrubbery 
on the Pamlico shore, driving the enemy out 
and preventing him from attacking the small 
force which had landed. 

In the meantime the fleet under orders of 
Commodore Stringham had been hotly engag- 
ing the forts. The Commodore adopted a 
system of attack peculiarly his own. Con- 
stantly moving his vessels in a circle he dis- 
charged his broadsides while abreast of the forts; 
then quickly swinging around he returned on 
the other side of the circle out of range of the 
fire from the forts. Each vessel imitated the 
action of the flagship, thus making it very diffi- 



THE ARMY OF OCCUPA TION. 8 1 

cult for the artillerists in the forts to train their 
heavy guns with accuracy on a ship in continu- 
ous motion. 

The movement was afterward employed with 
great success by Dupont in his bombardment 
of Forts Walker and Beauregard. 

Stringham never received the credit which 
was his due, and soon after the surrender of 
the forts, was, for some mysterious reason, rele- 
gated to the Charleston Navy Yard to supervise 
repairs to old hulks, and never again occupied 
a prominent place during the Rebellion. 

Captain Jardine assumed command of the 
force which had landed, but was not sufficiently 
strong to justify an attack, and he disposed of it 
behind the sand hills in the most effective man- 
ner possible. The weather becoming threaten- 
ing, the Commodore stood out to sea for safety, 
leaving the " Army of Occupation" in a most 
precarious and uncertain position when night 
closed in. Fortunately the enemy left them 
unmolested. 

The weather having moderated in the morn- 
ing, the fleet returned and at eight o'clock re- 
sumed the bombardment. As seen by the troops 
on the transports— none of whom had ever seen 
such an imposing sight — it was an interesting, 
novel and exciting scene. Company G, having 
been well closed in on the fort, was in more 



82 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

danger from the fire of its friends than from 
that of the enemy. 

During the forenoon the Confederates capitu- 
lated, and at a most fortunate juncture; for, 
while the articles of capitulation were under 
consideration the "Adelaide," loaded with 
troops, grounded for a while on the bar, while 
the " Harriet Lane " also grounded and remained 
fast, and as both vessels were within range of the 
guns of the fort it was a moment of great 
anxiety. 

The surrender of these forts was the first great 
success of the war thus far and caused much re- 
joicing at the North. The captures were: 715 
prisoners, i ,000 stand of arms, 30 pieces of cannon 
one ten-inch columbiad, a brig loaded with 
cotton, a sloop loaded with provisions and 
stores, two lightships, a schooner in ballast, five 
stand of colors, and 150 bags of coffee, all 
without loss of life on the Union side. 

General Butler in his official report says: "I 
desire to commend to your attention Captain 
Jardine, of the 9th New York, who was left in 
command of the detachment of his regiment, 
when an accident to the ' Harriet Lane ' prevent- 
ed Colonel Hawkins from landing." Jardine had 
with him sixty-eight men. 

The forts were under the command of Flae- 

o 

Officer Samuel Barron, C. S. N., formerly an 



IMAGINARY WAR AND REAL WAR. 83 

officer in the U. S. Navy : the garrison being 
composed largely of raw, undisciplined recruits 
who had never been in action, but who doubt- 
less were inspirited by the universal opinion 
then indulged in by the South, that " one 
Southerner was the equivalent of five Yankees, 
or mudsills." 

This ignorant confidence, and contempt for 
Northern people, caused them to fall into the 
common impression held by people generally 
who had never been in action, which is, that war 
consists in shooting at and killing " the other 
fellow;" therefore, when the "other fellow" began 
to shoot and to kill also, the whole transaction 
assumed an entirely different phase to them, 
and they lost any interest they might at first 
have had in the action and were ready to quit — 
which they did. 

On Sept. 9th, 1 86 1, General Wool, wrote 
General Scott: "I shall detail a company of regu- 
lars and send forward the balance (seven com- 
panies) of Hawkins' regiment, recalling Max 
Weber's German regiment, much complained of 
by the inhabitants for depredations and various 
outrages upon them." 



CHAPTER V. 

COLONEL HAWKINS ASSUMES COMMAND OF POST— COR- 
RESPONDENCE BETWEEN COLONEL HAWKINS AND 
GENERAL WOOL— EXPEDITION TO BEACON ISLAND— 
LIEUT.-COLONEL BETTS AND FIVE COMPANIES 
REJOIN REGIMENT — SURRENDER OF GUNBOAT 
"FANNIE" — ATTACK ON 20TH INDIANA — GENERAL 
WILLIAMS SUPERSEDES COLONEL HAWKINS— CON- 
STRUCTION OF NEW FORTS— ANTIPATHY OF MEN 
TO WILLIAMS— BOYS "SCOUTING" FOR FRESH PORK 
SERIOUSLY ALARM THE GENERAL — HAWKINS DIS- 
PLEASED, WRITES GENERAL WOOL — MAJOR KIM- 
BALL AND TWO COMPANIES ARRIVE FROM NEW- 
PORT NEWS— ARRIVAL OF BURNSIDE EXPEDITION- 
ALL READY FOR ROANOKE ISLAND— RATIONS FROM 
THE SEA — WINE LABELS PASSED AS CURRENCY- 
ROBBING POTATO HOUSES. 

BY virtue of rank, Colonel Hawkins assumed 
command of the land forces at Hatteras 
on August 30th, making his headquarters at 
Fort Clark, while Colonel Max Weber, with 
part of the 20th New York, was stationed at 
Fort Hatteras. 

Instead of following instructions from Wash- 
ington to close Hatteras Inlet by sinking two 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH GENERAL WOOL. 85 

schooners loaded with sand which were with 
the fleet for that purpose, General Butler de- 
cided to disobey orders, and after the surrender 
at once sailed for Washington to report the 
result of the expedition and explain his reasons 
for not closing the Inlet as directed. His 
action was sustained. Had it been otherwise 
Burnside's expedition would never have been 
organized. 

Early in September Colonel Hawkins wrote 
General Wool a voluminous letter, setting forth 
the condition of affairs in the new department 
and making numerous suggestions as to the 
future operations he deemed necessary, among 
others that Roanoke Island should be at once 
occupied, it being then held by the enemy, and 
urging General Wool to impress upon the 
Government " the importance and necessity of 
immediate action in this department," the 
wisdom of this being justified later by Burn- 
side's departure for that strategic point. 

Among the communications and documents 
transmitted to the authorities by the Colonel 
about this time were the following, which may 
be of interest: 

Fort Clark, Hatteras Inlet, Sept. 6, 1861. 

Major-General John E. Wool, 

Commanding Department of Virginia, Fortress Monroe, Va. 
General: — On the 30th day of August I landed from the fleet and 
took command of Fort Clark, where I still remain with the companies 
which I brought with me from Newport News. During the afternoon 



86 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

of the 30th ult. , a delegation on behalf of the citizens of this island 
waited on me and placed in my hands a paper, a copy of which is here- 
with inclosed, and marked "A," and is as follows: 

To the Commander of the Federal Forces at Hatteras Inlet: 

Dear Sir: — We, the citizens of Cape Hatteras, do ask of your honor 
that you will allow us to return to our homes and property, and protect 
us in the same as neutral citizens, as we have never taken up arms 
against your government, nor has it been our wish to do so. We did 
not help by our votes to get North Carolina out of the Union. Believing 
that your clemency will not allow you to treat us as rebels, who have 
always been loyal citizens, we do earnestly request, for the sake of our 
women and children, that you will comply with our wishes, as we seek 
protection from your honor. 

Yours very respectfully, 

CITIZENS OF HATTERAS. 

In answer to this communication I requested that as many citizens as 
could might meet me next day for the purpose of arranging terms by 
which they would be permitted to remain here. Agreeably to the 
request about thirty men came to see me. The terms were contained 
in an oath, a copy of which is here transmitted, and marked "B" as 
follows : 

State of North Carolina, Hyde County. 

We, the undersigned, do solemnly swear that we will bear true 
allegiance to the United States; that we will not take up arms against 
said Government, or hold any communication with its enemies, or aid 
or comfort its enemies in any way whatever; that we will give to the 
commander of Fort Clark any information we may obtain or receive 
of the approach of the enemy; and in case we are called upon, we will 
assist the commandant of said fort in his defense thereof against any 
and all of the enemies of the United States; and we will also, under 
any and all circumstances, support the Constitution of the United 
States. 

Practically every male inhabitant of that 
portion of the "banks" which came within the 
jurisdiction of the United States officers sub- 
scribed to this oath and the relations between 
them and the soldiers were soon established on 
a friendly basis. Nothing occurred while the 
Ninth remained in the vicinity to excite a 



HATTER AS BANKS IN 1861. 87 

suspicion that they were other than loyal 
Unionists. 

Hatteras Banks, on which the regiment now 
found itself established, is a section of that 
series of long narrow islands which stretch 
like a barrier reef along the Atlantic coast from 
Cape May to the southern point of Florida. 
At Hatteras Inlet it is said to be distant from 
the main land of North Carolina, Pamlico 
Sound intervening, fully forty miles. This 
storm-beaten and desolate strip of sand, so far 
out to sea, would seem to be as uninviting and 
inhospitable a spot as human beings could well 
choose for abiding places. Yet within the 
territory controlled by the troops whose head- 
quarters were at the Inlet, some scores of fami- 
lies had voluntarily, it must be presumed, 
located themselves and made their homes. 

The island varied greatly in width. At some 
places it was several miles between sea and 
sound, while at other points less than a quarter 
of a mile separated them. Some portions were 
simply a wilderness of desolate sand dunes, 
some of which, however, nearly reached the 
dignity of hills in size, with here and there, in 
the lower places, a few stunted live oaks scat- 
tered about singly or in little bunches of thicket. 
In the wider parts of the "banks" where the 
land was not so much at sea as it were, there 



88 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

were forests of considerable extent of ^ood 
sized pines with occasionally trees of other va- 
rieties. Here and there where a little soil had 
formed from the fallen leaves of many seasons 
and from the decayed wood of the fallen trees, 
the natives had located and built their houses. 
The little enclosures of fertile soil nearby they 
called " The Plantation." The houses of the 
inhabitants were generally of good size, well 
built and comfortable, and compared favorably 
with the average southern farm house as found 
in more favored localities. 

At several points within the limits of occupa- 
tion there were level plains of sand which ex- 
tended from the sea to the sound, varying in 
width from two or three hundred yards to a 
half mile or more, with neither tree, shrub nor 
hillock to break the general level, and elevated 
only a few feet above the reach of the tides. 
These were known to the inhabitants, and soon 
to the soldiers also, as "bald beaches." Their 
origin or cause was the source of considerable 
speculation among such of the boys as cared to 
waste their gray matter in attempts to solve 
such questions. The conclusion arrived at was 
that they had been caused by the passage of 
sand hills which, at a more or less remote period, 
had moved across the island, probably from the 
side toward the ocean, and had finally buried 
themselves in the waters of the sound. 



THE MOVING SAND HILLS. 89 

In more than one locality in the vicinity of 
the camps this action, or phenomena, was still 
apparent. The sand cast up by the action of 
the sea dried in the sun and breeze and drifting 
before the prevailing wind, being sheltered from 
counter-currents by the thick foliage of the 
pines, formed drifts which constantly grew in 
breadth and height by the ceaseless moving of 
the dry surface sand up the windward slope of 
the growing hill. The eddy formed between 
the crest of the drift and the opposing wall of 
trees prevented any forward movement of the 
mass until the heighth gained by it was equal 
to that of the woods in front, when, there being 
no longer an eddy in the wind to retard the 
forward movement, the advance began. This 
was slow but irresistible. Everything in its 
track was overwhelmed. Houses, trees, culti- 
vated land, all disappeared before the onward 
march of this silent enemy. After it had 
passed its tract was desolation, and this was 
the "bald beach." 

On September 16th a detachment of the Union 
Coast Guard, under command of Lieutenants 
Rowe and Patten, with part of the crew of the 
" Pawnee," embarked on the steamer " Fanny," 
and sailed for Beacon Island, where they dis- 
covered a large battery mounting twenty-two 
guns, four of which had been removed the pre- 



90 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

vious day to Newberne. The guns were de- 
stroyed, bomb-proofs demolished, woodwork 
of battery and large piles of lumber burned. A 
lightship towed from its moorings by the rebels 
was also destroyed by fire, and a quantity of 
ammunition secured, some eighty shells being 
carried away from the island. 

On the ioth of September five companies of 
the regiment left Newport News with Lieuten- 
ant Colonel Betts, landing at Hatteras the next 
day, when he was directed by Colonel Hawkins 
to camp about two miles up the island on the 
shore of Pamlico Sound. The location was 
named Camp Wool. 

These men brought a story of a naval fight in 
the James River, between the fleet, near the 
camp at Newport News, and a rebel gunboat 
which came out of Norfolk Harbor one day. 
This boat was armed with a gun of such a long 
range that she was able to keep outside of the 
range of the guns of the Union fleet and pepper 
them at her leisure. As a matter of fact the 
little rebel gunboat, with only one gun in action^ 
held the fleet at her mercy. It was only a 
question of marksmanship how soon she would 
sink one or more of them. 

While the soldiers were watching the firing, a 
boat arrived from one of the naval vessels. The 
officer in charge requested the first man he met, 



NAVAL FIGHT AT NEWPORT NEWS. 91 

Jerry Donovan, of Company A of the Ninth, to 
conduct him to General Phelps' headquarters. 
They found the General watching the one-sided 
fight from his quarters. The naval officer ex- 
plained the situation. Their guns did not have 
range enough to reach the enemy and they 
were in danger of being sunk at their moorings. 
He requested the General to try the range of 
the big 6-inch "James"' rifle, which was mounted 
in a little battery of its own on the bluff. 

At the time of this attack there happened to 
be no regular artillerists in camp. As a matter 
of fact the James rifle had no crew. The gun 
was not considered a part of the armament of 
the place. It had been brought there and 
mounted by the inventor and maker at his own 
expense, in his desire to have it tested and 
adopted by the Government. It was one of 
the forerunners of the modern high-power guns, 
and a remarkably efficient one, as it had re- 
peatedly thrown shells across the James to Pigs 
Point, a distance of four miles. 

After the Hatteras expedition sailed General 
Phelps began to drill detachments of the 
Zouaves at this big rifle. They learned readily 
and were soon very proficient. Therefore, 
when the naval officer suggested that the big 
gun be used, the General replied, " I was just 
thinking about that myself." Donovan was di- 



92 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

rected to call together enough men to man the 
gun. He soon returned with three of his 
comrades and they, with General Phelps as one 
of the crew, manned the big gun, and in a few 
moments had opened fire on the enemy. The 
General sighted and fired the gun himself, 
getting the range of the rebel gunboat after a 
few shots, which obliged her to beat a hasty 
retreat to the shelter of Craney Island. The 
boys of the " scratch " gun crew were very 
proud of the fact that they had been in action 
with a brigadier-general as a side partner. 

This was another illustration of the fore- 
thought and thoroughness of General Phelps 
in everything pertaining to his duty. 

Two companies still remained at Newport 
News (B and K) under command of Major 
Kimball, who was chafing with impatience at 
being kept from more active service in the 
field. 

Intelligence was received at the Inlet in the 
latter part of September that the enemy were 
being largely reinforced at Roanoke Island, and 
were fortifying it extensively. Colonel Hawkins 
deemed it prudent to establish a camp at Chi- 
comocomico, about thirty-six miles north of the 
Inlet, as a point of observation, and seven com- 
panies of the 20th Indiana, which had recently 
arrived at the post, were ordered there for that 



CAPTURE OF THE ' ' FANN Y." 93 

purpose. Communication was maintained and 
supplies forwarded by means of a small steamer, 
the " Fanny," on which was mounted one or 
two boat howitzers. She was commanded by 
the Sergeant-Major of the Ninth, who had been 
a sailor, and was manned by a crew detailed 
from the regiment. On one of the trips while 
engaged in discharging cargo into small boats, 
about four miles off shore, in the shallow water 
opposite the camp at Chicomocomico, she was 
surprised and captured by three rebel vessels 
which suddenly appeared, and were disposed in 
such a manner as to cut off her retreat. No 
attempt was made to destroy the vessel or 
cargo and everything fell into the hands of the 
enemy. This included Sergeant-Major Pea- 
cock and nine enlisted men of the Ninth, 
twenty men of the 20th Indiana, and all the 
commissary and quartermaster's stores with 
which the vessel was loaded. All the new 
overcoats for the 20th were among the stores 
lost. No doubt they were appreciated by the 
rebels into whose hands they fell, more espec- 
ially as the season was already well advanced 
toward the time when cold weather might be 
looked for. About daybreak on October 4th, 
only a few days after the above unfortunate 
occurrence, the camp at Chicomocomico was 
attacked by an overwhelming force of the 



94 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

enemy, who appeared so suddenly in several 
vessels on the sound, as to almost effect a 
surprise, landing both opposite to and below 
the camp in an attempt to cut off the escape 
of the Indiana men. At the first alarm, and 
when Colonel Brown, who was in command 
of the 20th, realized his position, he dis- 
patched a messenger to notify Colonel Haw- 
kins of his plight and fell hastily back out of 
the trap set for him. When the messenger 
dispatched by Colonel Brown reached Colonel 
Hawkins, the latter at once hurried Captain 
Jardine toward Chicomocomico with instruc- 
tions, and to render what assistance he could 
pending the arrival of reinforcements. Mean- 
while Colonel Hawkins notified the command- 
ant of the naval forces at the Inlet of the situa- 
ation and of his intended action in connection 
therewith, and at once started with eight com- 
panies of his regiment to the assistance of 
Colonel Brown. This march was the most 
severe and trying one which the regiment had 
up to that time been called upon to make. 
The start was made about five o'clock in the 
evening and was a forced march in the full 
meaning of the term. The men pushed on 
hour after hour through the deep yielding sand 
at their utmost speed. The night was dark 
and the ground over which the regiment moved 



FORCED MARCH TO CHICOMOCOMICO. 95 

was rough. In some places the loose sand was 
more than shoe deep, and as a consequence the 
shoes of the men filled with sand, which made 
marching extremely painful and difficult, and 
they had to be removed and emptied at frequent 
intervals. Some of the Zouaves tried to im- 
prove matters by removing their shoes and 
marching barefoot. They soon learned that 
this was impossible as it was found that in many 
places the ground was thickly strewn with 
small round sharp-pointed burrs which stuck in 
the flesh and made marching barefooted out of 
the question. 

Some time during the night the regiment 
arrived at a point within supporting distance of 
the 20th, when they heard the welcome com- 
mands " halt " and " rest," and where they 
bivouacked for the night. In the morning 
they started on the return march in company 
with the 20th Indiana, and reached their camp 
some hours after dark the same night, in a 
worse condition, from fatigue and exhaustion, 
than they had been in at any time up to that 
period of their service. 

General Mansfield arrived at the Inlet about 
this time and assumed command. He re- 
mained only a few days, however, as he soon 
departed leaving Colonel Hawkins again in 
•command. 



96 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

On October 8th Gen. Thomas Williams was 
ordered to Hatteras Inlet to fill the place left 
vacant by General Mansfield, and to assume 
command of all the Union troops in North 
Carolina, and was especially directed when 
establishing posts not to separate the forces at 
too great a distance from each other. 

General Williams was a regular army officer 
from the artillery branch of the service, and 
proved himself an able, and later, a gallant 
soldier, as well as a painstaking and conscien- 
tious commander. Still there appeared to be 
much of the inconsiderate martinet in his char- 
acter. He managed affairs on Hatteras in a 
vigorous manner by issuing a series of orders 
which completely changed previous conditions. 
He moved the different detachments of the 
" Ninth " hither and thither according to his 
whims apparently, establishing and breaking up 
camps, seemingly keeping everything and every- 
body in a constant turmoil. 

He caused a battery to be erected on the 
beach facing the ocean, which to the unpro- 
fessional eyes of officers and men seemed to be 
of no advantage. One night during a heavy 
storm a portion of the Atlantic Ocean came up 
and took it away and it was never rebuilt. 

Another fort on a larger and more preten- 
tious scale was started on the " bald beach " 



" WILLIAMS' FOLLY." 97 

nearest to the camp, and which extended from 
ocean to sound, as has been described above. 
This work was designed by regular engineers, 
and every enlisted man in the command worked 
upon it daily, except when on guard duty. 
The fatigue details were at times so large as to 
include nearly the entire force not on guard, 
and for many consecutive days at a time there 
were no drills. The men named this work 
"Williams' Folly." 

Day after day the engineer officers planned, 
the men brought sand in wheelbarrows, and 
carried sod, but their best efforts could not 
elevate the fort above the level of the beach. 
As the work progressed the drifting sand was 
carried forward like snow on a wintry blast, 
swirling and lodging in and around it, con- 
stantly raising the surface of the ground and 
keeping pace with the work as it grew in 
height. Had it been built as high as the 
Tower of Babel the sand would probably have 
risen to the same height, and it would have 
always remained a sloping hill, its base con- 
stantly enlarging and its grade becoming more 
gradual. 

General Williams was one who in no way 
spared himself, either in hard work or un- 
pleasant duties; he was always on active duty. 
Day or night he was a familiar figure. That 



98 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

his treatment of the " Ninth " was severe cannot 
be denied. From the first he and the regiment 
were antagonistic. The men entertained a 
feeling of resentment against an officer, who, 
although of superior rank, had superseded their 
colonel in an important command. They did 
not try to conceal their feelings, but were wise 
enough to avoid committing any overt act, and 
in a military sense were not insubordinate. 
Still they were sullen and unsoldierly in their 
manner toward the General and he, being 
human, retaliated by proposing to "take it out 
of them." This, combined with the hard man- 
ual labor the men were forced to perform in 
the work which the General doubtless consid- 
ered necessary for the safety of the post, but 
which a majority of the men looked upon as 
rank tyranny, caused relations which diplo- 
mats would call " strained." 

Some of the more reckless of the men con- 
structed pitfalls in the sand in the immediate 
vicinity of the new fort for the purpose of 
entrapping the General. They succeeded at 
last, and when one morning he tumbled into 
one of them, they exhibited great glee, although 
somewhat suppressed, and considered them- 
selves well paid for the extra labor expended in 
digging it. 

Another matter which added to the discom- 



SIMULA TING DEFENSE. 99 

fort of the troops while General Williams was 
in command was the simulating a defense 
against surprise each morning two hours before 
daylight. 

His theory, which was doubtless correct, was 
that if the enemy attempted a surprise he would 
be likely to make the attempt just before day- 
break, consequently to properly guard against 
it the troops should be in the defenses or in 
line of battle previous to that hour. Inasmuch 
as the camps were at one end of an island 
which was situated forty miles from the main 
land, and in some parts not over one-fourth of 
a mile wide, with detachments of troops en- 
camped along the narrow island many miles 
from the main camp, and with outlying pickets 
as well, the chances of such an attempt being 
made were deemed too remote to justify turn- 
ing the men out of their more or less warm 
blankets between three and four o'clock on cold 
winter mornings to perform an hour or two of 
hard drill in simulating a defense. All this 
produced a feeling of dislike on one side and 
distrust on the other. The following will serve 
to illustrate. 

There were stationed at one of the outlying 
camps three companies of the " Ninth," among 
them Company K. From the time of taking 
the field no issue of fresh meat had been made 

LofC. 



lOO NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

to the regiment, and none had reached the men 
with the exception of what little had been pro- 
cured in ways it is unnecessary to explain, but 
which would have been frowned upon by the 
good people at home. Consequently the men 
were, as they expressed it, " meat hungry." A 
certain member of one of Company K's squads 
became possessed of the knowledge that one 
of Caleb Stowe's hogs had escaped from its 
pen and was wandering far from home midst 
the brush and swamps, and was liable to come 
to harm. An expedition was organized for its 
capture. Tom Stapleton, " Blackie " Farley, 
"Buffer" Johnson, and several others started 
from camp to capture the prize. 

It was necessary to move secretly and quietly, 
for if anyone outside the squad to which these 
energetic and resourceful young soldiers be- 
longed had learned that " fresh pork " was 
wandering loose in the woods the entire com- 
mand would soon have known it also, and then 
all chance of its capture would have been 
destroyed. To shoot the porker was out of the 
question, for at that time to discharge a cartridge, 
except at the enemy, would have brought swift 
and condign punishment upon the rash offender. 
The game must be secured either by fleetness 
of foot or by strategy. They first attempted to 
run it down, without reckoning on the speed 



THE A TTEMPT A T ASSASSIN A TION. 1 1 

and endurance of a "razor-back" hog. How- 
ever, by judicious relays of pursuers they so 
succeeded in tiring it that it sought cover in a 
little thicket by the side of a sandy road, which 
made a sharp turn here at the edge of the 
woods. The men were creeping stealthily 
forward to surround their prey, and were well 
closed in on its hiding place, when General 
Williams, who was on his way to the camp for 
his accustomed visit, rode rapidly, and on ac- 
count of the soft sand in the road, noiselessly 
out of the woods. The men were so eager and 
intent on the business before them that not one 
of them was aware of his presence. The rush 
of the horse startled the hog, which at once 
broke cover. One man, referring to the animal, 

shouted: "There goes the ! Give it to 

him!" To the General, it was plainly an 
ambush with an attempt at assassination, and 
driving the spurs into his horse, and lying low 
on the animals neck, he was off like a bird, and 
galloping direct to camp ordered the "long 
roll " to be at once beaten. The foragers com- 
prehended the situation in the twinkling of an 
eye. Lack of acute perception and prompt de- 
cision could not be charged among their short- 
comings. Dashing across the swamp by a short 
cut they secured their arms and were in their 
places in line when the companies were 
formed. 



102 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The roll was called and all the men were 
found to be present or accounted for. The 
General was puzzled, and it is needless to add 
that the culprits were never discovered. Had 
they been, in all probability they would have 
been severely dealt with, probably have been 
shot, as the evidence would have been strongly 
against them. The story was too rich to be 
kept a secret and finally leaked out, but not until 
after the regiment had been assigned to another 
command. 

General Williams was killed at the battle of 
Baton Rouge, La., while gallantly leading an 
Iowa regiment in a charge on the enemy. His 
untimely death was regretted by both the offi- 
cers and men of Hawkins' Zouaves, as notwith- 
standing his faults he proved himself a gallant 
soldier. 

As they became more experienced in army 
life they learned that eccentricity was not an 
uncommon characteristic of elderly army offi- 
cers, and that the General's harshness and 
severity was due very largely to their own 
unpleasant habit of not only thinking but of 
sometimes expressing their thoughts in words, 
while he was simply carrying out his own idea 
of what was proper to be done and perform- 
ing his duty as he thought it should be per- 
formed. 



MAJ. KIMBALL WITH COS. B & K, ARRIVE. 1 03 

Soon after the appointment of General Wil- 
liams to the command at Hatteras Inlet, Gen- 
eral Mansfield sent a report to General Wool, . 
of which the following is an extract : 

"The command of Col. W. L. Brown being but seven companies — say 
500 strong — and the enemy supposed to be at least 2,000 strong, Col. 
Brown immediately, by orders received from Colonel Hawkins at that 
moment, took up his line of march on the east beach for Hatteras light- 
house, where he was met by Colonel Hawkins with his command, and 
finally the whole command fell back to this station — Hatteras Inlet — 
with a loss on the part of Colonel Brown of three sergeants, two cor- 
porals, and twenty-four men stragglers. 

" He sent back a party to burn and destroy his camp, which was 
supposed to be partially done, and they fell into the hands of the 
enemy." 

On the 7th of October, Companies B and K, 
which had remained at Newport News under 
command of Major Kimball, arrived at Hatteras. 
All the companies were thus once more assem- 
bled at the same post or station, but they were 
not reunited by any means. The whole regi- 
ment was not encamped together at any one 
time during their occupation of Hatteras. 
During all the time Colonel Hawkins was in 
command of the post his headquarters continued 
to be at Fort Hatteras, with at times one, two 
or perhaps three companies of the regiment 
encamped in the immediate vicinity, under com- 
mand of one of the senior captains, while the 
remainder of the battalion present was located 
at Camp Wool, about two miles above the fort, 
with Lieutenant-Colonel Betts in command. 



104 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The Lieutenant-Colonel was an officer of very 
superior talents and attainments, an excellent 
.tactician and possessed of marked executive 
ability. He also enjoyed the respect and con- 
fidence of every one in the regiment. He was 
the happy possessor of a faculty which few 
officers, either regular or volunteer, could claim — 
of being able to make a battalion drill interest- 
ing to those engaged in it. His clear and 
concise explanations of the way to perform in- 
tricate evolutions were listened to with interest, 
if not with pleasure. Another thing which is 
remembered distinctly by the survivors of the 
regiment, is the regularity and smoothness with 
which everything pertaining to the daily routine 
of camp life progressed when under his com- 
mand. It is remembered that there was an 
almost total absence of jar or friction in camp 
when he was the commanding officer. 

There were officers in the regiment toward 
whom more affection may have been felt by the 
men but none of them were more highly es- 
teemed by them than Lieutenant-Colonel Betts. 

When Major Kimball arrived from Newport 
News, 1 with the two remaining companies, 
another camp was established still farther up 
the island, to the command of which he was 
assigned. 

After General Williams arrived at the post 



COMPANY K, BECOMES A BATTERY. 105 

camps were changed and commands readjusted 
so frequently that it would be monotonous to 
chronicle them in detail. 

When Colonel Hawkins was placed in arrest 
and sent to Fortress Monroe accompanied by 
charges of insubordination — the result of his re- 
fusal to assign Captain Bernard to a company 
when ordered to do so by General Williams, 
an account of which will be found in another 
chapter — the command of the regiment devolved 
on Lieutenant-Colonel Betts. His headquar- 
ters were always at or near Camp Wool, but 
the greater portion of the regiment was nearly 
always distributed among the other outlying 
camps, Winfield, Trent and others, and Major 
Kimball was always in command of the largest 
battalion, as befitted his rank. 

When Colonel Hawkins rejoined the regi- 
ment, which was in December 22, after an ab- 
sence of about two months, he brought with 
him two hundred rifles with which to arm the 
flank companies — the regiment was originally 
armed with smooth bore muskets — and three 
light field howitzers. These were given to 
Capt. James R. Whiting's Company K, which 
was erected into a battery, three more guns 
being added later, which made up the full com- 
plement for a field battery. 

The men of Company K at once began the 



106 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

drill and practice of light battery tactics, soon 
mastering all the intricacies and becoming quite 
proficient in handling the guns. The company 
afterward rendered excellent and efficient ser- 
vice both in field and garrison, especially during 
the siege of Suffolk, Va., and were frequently 
commended by the different generals in whose 
command they served. 

During the months of November, December, 
and January, the various companies of the reg- 
iment were constantly changing camp, and 
finally settled down in their original positions, 
where they remained until the final departure 
from Hatteras. 

On the 13th of January, 1862, the steamer 
" S. R. Spaulding " arrived at Hatteras, followed 
by many vessels of the Burnside expedition. 

This expedition was organized for the cap- 
ture of Roanoke Island and other locations on 
the North Carolina Sounds and adjacent rivers, 
and was accompanied by a fleet of improvised 
gunboats, under the command of Commodore 
Goldsborough. The fleet of transports seemed 
a strange one to send through Hatteras Inlet. 
It was a gathering of nearly everything that 
would float. There were full-rigged ships, 
ocean steamers, New York bay tugboats, 
Brooklyn and Staten Island ferryboats; the 
sight of which caused the New York boys a 



THE BURNS IDE EXPEDITION. 107 

pang of homesickness, as thoughts swiftly flew 
to scenes at home. None knew of the presence 
of the choking lump of emotion in the throat of 
his comrade as they gazed at these familiar 
boats, but each was secretly conscious of his 
own longing for home and loved ones. 

There were also canal boats from Buffalo, 
and one stern-wheel steamer from away down 
in Maine, and it may be safe to say that the 
age of some of the craft would date nearly back 
to the days of Noah's ark. 

It was said that Pamlico and Albemarle 
Sounds were navigable for vessels drawing 
nine feet, but on the " Swash " or inner bar at 
the Inlet, there was only six feet of water. 
While navigators and engineers were engaged 
in the elucidation of the problem of how to sail 
a vessel drawing twenty feet across a bar over 
which there were but six feet of water, the fleet 
remained at anchor in the open ocean. An 
easterly storm arose while it was thus ex- 
posed, and while some vessels stood out to 
sea for safety, most of the fleet trusted to riding 
it out at anchor. The storm proved to be very 
severe and several vessels went ashore and 
were lost. 

As many vessels as could anchor in the Inlet 
did so and found a comparatively secure har- 
bor, but outside the scene was frightful. Many 



108 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

vessels dragged anchor, some dashed into the 
breakers, others foundered where they lay. Two 
ocean steamers were in the south breakers at 
the same time, pounding to pieces, in plain 
view of the people on shore and those on the 
vessels at anchor in the Inlet, but the weather 
was so tempestuous, and the seas so high, 
that at first little if any aid could be given the 
unfortunates, and many lives were lost. At 
last volunteer crews manned several lifeboats 
and did heroic and efficient service, rescuing 
many of the shipwrecked people. When the 
weather had moderated sufficiently to do so 
with safety, the entire force was disembarked 
and went into camp to await the solving of the 
aforesaid problem. 

The drinking water on the island being very 
bad, considerable sickness occurred after the 
troops landed. There had been some cases of 
typhoid fever among the soldiers of the "Ninth," 
and a few deaths, but among the new men the 
deaths occurred by the score. In addition to 
typhoid, measles broke out in some of the new 
regiments, and was attended with great fatality. 
Funerals were of so frequent occurrence that it 
was said by a jocular spirit that the mocking- 
birds had learned to whistle the " Dead March." 

Notwithstanding the extremely bad water, 
and the generally insanitary condition of the 



FAITHFUL SER VICE OF THE MEDICAL OFFICERS. 1 09 

ground in the vicinity of the camps of the 
Ninth, the sick list never became large, and the 
total deaths from disease during the two years' 
term of service numbered only twenty. 

At this juncture the Zouaves began to re- 
alize their good fortune in being blessed with 
such medical officers as Doctors Humphreys 
and White, who constantly and intelligently 
attended strictly to the performance of duty. 
The sick were attended to as faithfully as they 
would have been at home. The men had the 
utmost confidence in the skill and ability of the 
surgeons, and in their faithful attention to duty 
at all times ; and that trust was never mis- 
placed. 

Nearly a month passed in lightening gun- 
boats and transports, and dragging them over 
the bar into the deeper water of the Sound, and 
this time was occupied by the newly arrived 
troops in improving their drill and discipline. 

The greater part of both officers and men of 
the new regiments had never handled a musket 
or performed a military evolution. To some 
of them a drill was simply marching hither and 
thither by the flank, like schoolboys upon the 
village common. 

One morning a company was drilling near 
the camp of the " Ninth " and a swamp hole 
was directly in their path, when the captain 



1 lO NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

gave the command, " Boys, haw (go to the left) 
that mud puddle ! " They understood and 
" hawed " it. 

The officers of the new regiments fully re- 
alized their deficiency in the knowledge of drill 
and military matters in general. They sought 
to remedy this defect and soon obtained the 
needed help. Men of the " Ninth " volunteered 
to instruct such officers and non-commissioned 
officers as wished to avail themselves of the 
opportunity and whose regimental camps were 
near enough to that of the Ninth to make it 
practicable. Many of the Zouaves devoted 
considerable time and attention, when off duty 
between drills, in giving theoretical and prac- 
tical instructions to the new men in the manual 
of arms, and school of the soldier, and com- 
pany. 

A considerable proportion of the officers' 
tents became schools of instruction, and doubt- 
less much benefit was derived from this method 
of teaching. It may be as well to remark in 
this connection f that without an exception all of 
these new regiments returned from the war 
with most excellent records, many of the officers 
distinguishing themselves in battle, some of 
them obtaining high rank and occupying re- 
sponsible positions before the Rebellion ended. 

After weeks of hard and unremitting labor 



RA TIONS FROM THE SEA. 1 l i 

the fleet was at last anchored safely in the 
Sound, stores were reloaded, batteries replaced, 
and all was ready for the forward movement 
to Roanoke Island. 

There was one circumstance which occurred 
while the detachment under Lieutenant-Colonel 
Betts was stationed at Chicomocomico which 
may be worth mentioning. 

While camped there rations ran very low and 
at last came the cry of " no grub," which proved 
to be the fact, as not a morsel of food was left 
in the commissary department, and starvation 
threatened, when in some way now forgotten, 
the " Monticello," lying off the beach, was com- 
municated with, and the situation explained to 
the commanding officer, Lieut. Daniel L. Braine, 
who relieved the necessity of the soldiers by 
throwing overboard barrels of ship's-bread (a 
large, hard, round cracker) which slowly floated 
ashore and was seized with avidity by the 
hungry and expectant Zouaves ; the slight 
addition of salt water in no way interfering 
with its palatableness. 

There were a large number of inhabitants 
scattered along the beach of the island, each 
family locating on a spot wherever a patch of 
fertile soil occurred — fertile when compared 
with the drifting sand which composed the 
greater part of the island. These patches were, 



1 1 2 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

in a way, cultivated; corn, sweet potatoes, and a 
few other vegetables being raised. The entire 
" plantation," as it was designated, being about 
the size of an ordinary kitchen garden on a 
northern farm. 

The men of the island were fishermen and 
pilots ; the former their regular vocation, the 
latter, when opportunity offered, to catch a ves- 
sel bound in through the Inlet. 

At various elevated places along the beach 
tall spars and masts of wrecked vessels had 
been planted perpendicularly in the sand with 
small pieces of wreckage nailed crosswise upon 
them to form a primitive ladder. The top of 
this ladder was used as a lookout station, from 
which eager eyes scanned the horizon for inward 
bound craft, the one first sighting such a vessel 
havine the best chance of first reaching her in 
his boat, thus securing the privilege of piloting 
her through the shoals and over the bar into 
the deeper waters of the Sound. 

When Hatteras was captured and occupied 
this industry was destroyed, as all vessels 
arriving after that date were captured by the 
Federal gunboats. 

The natives soon learned that the boys pos- 
sessed money and could be induced to part 
with it in exchange for any commodity which 
struck their fancy, more particularly in the line 



TRADE WITH THE INHABITANTS. 1 1 3 

of eatables, which might prove a grateful change 
from "sow-belly" and "salt horse." There 
were no roads on the island except such as had 
been made by the troops from camp to camp, 
all transportation being by water. Each family 
possessed several boats for sailing or rowing, 
some fitted for sound, others for ocean work. 
Trade was at first somewhat sluggish. A 
soldier would hail a passing fisherman going 
home with his "catch" and inquire if the fish 
were for sale, and the man would gladly land 
and probably dispose of the entire lot. 

On passing camp the next time he would 
naturally stop and offer his fish. In the mean- 
time his neighbors heard of the new market 
near home, and they came also with sweet 
potatoes, eggs, chickens, etc., and the women, 
not to be outdone in the trading line, brought 
specimens of home cooking, "fearfully and 
wonderfully made," the master piece, being the 
sweet potato pie, which looked like a sheet of 
thick, wet brown paper spread on a sole-leather 
crust. 

Surgeon Humphreys, however, soon placed 
a veto on the sale of this wonderful composi- 
tion, and the sentries received orders to pro- 
hibit its sale in any of the camps. There was 
soon an animated market scene, each morning - , 
at the little landings of the different camps. 



114 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

So long as his money held out the soldier 
paid fairly and honestly for goods purchased, 
and doubtless whether he had cash or not it was 
his intention to pay at some future time, but as 
a certain place is said to be paved with good 
intentions, it is certain that many a stone was 
added to the said pavement during the stay at 
Hatteras. The poorly executed "shinplaster" 
rebel money which was tendered the soldiers in 
change — and of course refused — gave some of 
the men an idea. The pioneer in this enter- 
prise tried his luck by offering a label from a 
sherry wine bottle in exchange for two fine roe- 
shad, and was a trifle staggered when the 
fisherman asked him what it was. He quickly 
recovered his equanimity, however, and coolly 
replied, "a dollar," and received, without the 
quiver of an eyelid, seventy-five cents in 
change. For sometime after this trade was 
exceedingly brisk, any kind of label from bottle 
or box passing current. 

Of course good things cannot last forever. 
Before long the natives realized the worthless- 
ness of the stuff, and there is little doubt that 
many of them had their confidence in the 
integrity of the Zouaves sadly shocked thereby. 

It is a difficult matter to attempt to defend 
such transactions, still it can be truthfully 
stated that passing wine and condensed milk 



WINE LABELS AS CURRENCY. 1 1 5 

labels, as the currency of the realm, on poor and 
illiterate, people by the boys of the regiment, 
was in a majority of cases done in a thoughtless 
spirit of mischief, rather than with the deliberate 
intent of defrauding the receiver. But with 
some the motto was " necessity knows no law." 
When the paymaster failed to put in an appear- 
ance, and the money of the regiment had been 
exhausted, a ways and means committee was 
appointed to devise methods for adding variety 
to the bill of fare, but this was strictly sub 
rosa. 

The potato and other root crops of the natives 
were stored in what were called potato-houses, 
which were shallow holes in the ground, over 
which a log structure was built, in turn covered 
by earth, with the object of preserving an even 
temperature. An entrance to this depot could 
readily be made by anyone so disposed, although 
it was well known by all the Zouaves that swift 
and severe punishment would follow the detec- 
tion of anyone found plundering the inhabitants. 
Foraging was the polite term given it in camp. 
Still, among such a number of men there were 
plenty willing to assume any risk for a change 
of diet. This was usually accomplished in the 
daytime while " out on pass;" for going outside 
the lines at night was a delicate and somewhat 
dangerous undertaking, and not generally 



1 16 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

attempted unless arrangements had previously 
been made with one of the guard who was 
expected to cover a post more or less remote 
from the guard-house on a certain "relief" 
during the coming night. 

In the daytime the coveted articles were pro- 
cured by one of a party of men inducing the 
occupant of some house selected for the attempt 
to accompany him to a point from which the 
potato-house was out of view, and there haggle 
over the price of a chicken or some other mer- 
chandise long enough to permit his partner to 
slide off with potatoes sufficient for the present 
requirement of the mess, when the pretended 
purchaser would suddenly break off negotiations, 
and probably on the pretense that the seller was 
attempting to impose extraordinary prices on 
poor soldiers. 

Sometimes these despoilers came to grief, 
their uniform being so distinctive that their 
depredations were soon discovered, when they 
were traced to camp and a complaint lodged 
with Major Kimball, or whoever happened to be 
in command. 

Whether it was Major Kimball's condition of 
mind on different occasions, or his endeavor to 
pass sentence on the culprits suitable to the 
crime, certain it was, justice often saw great 
variations in his judgments and his punishments 



PRO VING THE Y DIDW T DO IT 117 

were quite irregular. One morning a com- 
plainant was seen to be in close consultation 
with the Major. The man was recognized by 
several of the Zouaves, and in consequence 
there was considerable uneasiness among them. 

Dress parade was about to be held and the 
complainant took position beside the command- 
ing officer. After the adjutant reported " parade 
formed," Major Kimball addressed the men 
about as follows : 

" Men, this man makes complaint that his 
potato-house was broken into and robbed 
last night, and says he saw the men who did it, 
and that they wore the uniform of this regiment. 
I told him I did not believe any of my men 
would be guilty of such a trick, and to satisfy 
him would ask you in his presence, and he 
could hear for himself. Now I ask, did any 
one in this battalion rob the potato-house?" 
Long before the Major had finished his speech 
the men had taken the cue and were ready with 
the expected answer, which was a unanimous. 
" No !" roared in unison by every man in the 
line. The Major dismissed the native with 
a wave of his hand, saying: "There! I told you 
they didn't do it." 

These complaints, however, were not always 
dismissed in this complaisant manner. Some- 
times when a native appeared in camp with a 
story of loss of property in which the men 



1 18 NIN'IH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

figured as the culprits, he would be directed to 
remain in camp until the battalion or regiment, 
if camped in a body, "fell in" for drill or parade, 
when the ranks would be opened and the 
accuser conducted up and down both ranks from 
flank to flank on a tour of inspection, with in- 
structions to point out the guilty persons if 
possible. In several instances when men were 
so identified, in addition to the punishment in- 
flicted, a fine was imposed which was far in 
excess of the value of the missing property. 

On one of these occasions when a countryman 
was passing along the line carefully scrutinizing 
every countenance in the ranks, trusting to 
recognize the hapless individuals who had de- 
spoiled him of his property, he passed in front 
of Company K. Tom Farley, who feared that 
he might possibly bear a resemblance to the 
guilty party sought for, assumed a frightful 
squint, suddenly developing one of the worst 
cases of strabismus ever known in the service, 
and as the man examined him closely, Farley, 
throwing as much savageness in his voice as 
possible, growled ferociously, "Who in the h — 1 
are you looking at?" 

The voice and squint were not recognized as 
having been with the party of evildoers, and 
the native hastily passed on, leaving the boys 
inwardly convulsed at the success of the stra- 
tagem. 



CHAPTER VI. 

UNDERWAY FOR ROANOKE ISLAND ARRIVAL 

ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FORTS — LANDING 
OF THE TROOPS — BIVOUAC IN THE MUD 
FOR THE NIGHT — STEALING BED FROM BE- 
NEATH THE COLONEL ARMY MOVES ON 

THE ENEMY — MAJOR KIMBALL'S FEAR THAT 
THE MEN MIGHT WEAKEN — ARRIVAL IN 

FRONT OF BATTERY ORDER TO CHARGE 

THE WORKS — COLONEL DeMONTEIL KILLED 

FIRST BAYONET CHARGE OF THE WAR 

WHAT CURIE SAW REFLECTIONS 

EXTRACTS FROM REPORTS OF GENERALS IN 

COMMAND CAPTURE OF CAPTAIN WISE 

MORE RAIN DESCRIPTION OF PRISONERS. 

ABOUT 8 o'clock a.m., February 5th, all the 
troops which were to form the expedition 
being on board the transports, the entire fleet 
got underway for Roanoke Island. At 6 p.m. it 
anchored until the next day, each brigade an- 
choring near its own flagship, so that in the 
event of receiving hurried orders each vessel 
could be communicated with readily. At eight 
o'clock the following morning anchors were 
weighed and the voyage resumed, but at noon 



1 20 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

a heavy fog settled down, which caused another 
halt and another day's delay. 

An early start was made on the 7th, and soon 
Roanoke Island came into view. The Union 
gunboats formed in single column, steamed 
ahead and opened fire on the various points 
where the enemy had exposed their positions 
by engaging the advancing warships. It was 
thus discovered that the rebel defenses con- 
sisted of three batteries near the shore. One of 
these it was afterward learned, consisted of 
eleven, one of nine, and the last of four guns. 
Across the channel in Croatan Sound a row of 
piles had been driven as an obstruction to the 
gunboats, and beyond them four armed rebel 
vessels were stationed. The commander of the 
gunboats employed tactics similar to those in- 
troduced by Stringham at the bombardment 
of Hatteras. He arranged his vessels in such 
a way, each following its leader in single file, 
that after once passing the forts they formed 
an ellipsis, engaging the enemy from the inner 
edge, continuing until out of range along the 
off shore side, and again resuming their fire 
when within range of the first or southerly 
battery, where the ships again sent in their 
broadsides. This movement continued almost 
continuously for the entire day. 

The transports were held at a safe dis- 



ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FORTS. 121 

tance, their decks, rigging and crosstrees being 
crowded with troops eagerly watching the 
action. The majority of the spectators wit- 
nessed a bombardment for the first time. Al- 
most every detail of the action was in unob- 
structed view. Every time a flag on the Con- 
federate works was shot away the troops, sup- 
posing it betokened surrender, would send forth 
such deafening cheers as to nearly drown the 
roar of the cannon. The several flags on the 
different forts were carried away a number of 
times during the day, but were always replaced 
within a short time. 

The schooner yacht " Henrietta," formerly 
the property of James Gorden Bennett, and 
which he had presented to the Government at 
the outbreak of hostilities, was a commissioned 
United States war vessel serving with the 
fleet. She was in the fiercest of the fight 
during the entire day. She was armed with a 
ioo-pounder Parrott gun, mounted amidships, 
and rendered as efficient service as any vessel 
in the fleet. 

The blazing buildings within the forts, and 
the flying earth and wreckage from exploding 
shells marking the accurate aim of the gunners 
on the ships, could be plainly seen from the 
transports with the naked eye. Late in the 
afternoon preparations were completed to land 



122 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the troops, and about 5 o'clock, p.m., they began 
the movement. They were transferred to small 
boats, and long strings of these, one behind the 
other, like great strings of beads, were towed 
by small steamers to within a short distance of 
Ashby's Landing, where, after a comparatively 
short row, a lodgment was effected with very 
little trouble. For some reason or other very 
slight opposition was met with here. The troops 
took position about one mile inland, forcing in 
the enemy's pickets and establishing their own 
in their stead, and then went into bivouac for 
the night. At about eight o'clock in the even- 
ing the Ninth got the order to follow the others 
ashore, and dropping into the boats they were 
soon towed to the landing by the small steamers. 
Few civilians realize how the tramp of the 
many feet of an army will grind the damp earth 
over which they pass into a mass the consist- 
ency of mortar. The Ninth being among the 
last regiments to reach the shore, found the 
ground over which the other troops had passed 
much cut up and actually knee deep with mud. 
The short distance they marched from landing 
to bivouac was literally waded. The troops 
were then quite closely massed in a cornfield. 
Rain began falling just after dark and continued 
heavily all night. The campground was soon 
covered with pools of muddy water. Lying 



BIVOUAC A T ASHB F'S LANDING. 1 23 

down in the water and attempting to sleep was 
out of the question, and as the men had not yet 
learned to sleep in a standing position, there 
was no sleep. Fires were built and the boys 
gathered around them shivering and melan- 
choly. 

The single house at the landing had been 
taken possession of and was occupied as quar- 
ters by the generals and their staffs, with as 
many other officers of rank as chose to leave 
their regiments or could be accommodated in 
it. One of the latter afterward wrote home of 
this experience as follows : 

"The generals had gone up garret (there were no rooms up there 
and had lain down on the floor to sleep. After an hour or so the crowd 
of officers in the room below began to make arrangements to pass the 
night as comfortably as possible. There were, of course, no chairs or 
other accommodations for sitting or reclining, and the hard floor was 
the portion of those who sought shelter from the rain. I found an old 
friend in the room who had possession of a bench about two feet long, 
which he invited me to share with him, so we sat astride of it facing 
each other, his head resting on my right shoulder, his shoulder support- 
ing mine in the same way, and in this position we fell asleep." 

The house at Ashby's Landing gave cold 
comfort to its occupants on that bleak February 
night ; yet to the officers and men who clustered 
about the camp fires without shelter of any kind, 
the sleeping accommodations of those two 
officers on the bench were comparatively lux- 
urious. The night was filled with misery even 
from a soldier's standpoint. Toward morning 
fuel became scarce, and as all fences in the 



124 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

immediate vicinity had been appropriated and 
consumed, the boys took turns in hunting for 
and bringing in anything they could lay their 
hands on with which to replenish the fires. 
Many a provident soldier who had the previous 
evening secured a few rails and arranged them 
to form a bed which would keep his body above 
the water-soaked ground, was cruelly robbed 
of them, sometimes by sneak thieves, but oftener 
by the use of moral suasion backed by a power- 
ful right arm. 

Some of the men had provided Colonel Haw- 
kins with a resting place of this kind. It con- 
sisted of three split rails laid side by side. One 
end, which may be called the head, was elevated 
by resting it on a pile of earth dug from a ditch 
bordering the field. Colonel Hawkins lay on 
these rails asleep, covered head and all with his 
red blanket. 

Where his thoughts on the pinions of fancy shall roam 
And in slumber revisit his love and his home. 

Sleep! How often, ah! how often have ye 
brought sweet and happy dreams on the eve of 
battle! How often calmed the anxieties for the 
fortunes of to-morrow. 

As morning approached and the unfortunates, 
who had stood about the fires all night, saw the 
dying embers deepen from red to black, they 
began to prowl about in a more desperate search 



STEALING THE COLONEL'S BED. 125 

for fuel. Many wistful glances were cast at the 
rails upon which the red covered figure of the 
Colonel reposed. Until now the information 
"It is the Colonel," would send the raiders off 
in another direction, but at last two bold spirits 
more reckless than their comrades, approached 
the sleeper, walked stealthily around him, en- 
acted a short pantomine, and then — whisk! 
splash ! — the Colonel lay in the water while two 
soldiers and a rail disappeared in the darkness. 
In an instant the Colonel was in a sitting posi- 
tion, had thrown the blanket from his head, and 
quickly realizing what had occurred, remarked : 
" That was pretty well done !" Then quietly ar- 
ranging his two remaining rails, again sought 
slumber. This closed the incident, and the two 
robbers congratulated themselves on their dex- 
terity as they toasted their shins beside their 
replenished fire. 

A false alarm was raised just before day- 
break. Every man of the Ninth sprang to his 
musket with an alacrity born of long drills and 
the habit of the thorough soldier. When the 
uncertainty was over, there was relaxation 
until dawn, when the troops were formed in 
line and moved to the front. 

General Parke's brigade, to which the Ninth 
was attached, was held in reserve on the left of 
the line, and the Ninth was the last regiment to 



126 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

leave its bivouac, as also the last to be brought 
into action. There was but one road on this 
part of the island, and this ran from Ashby's 
Landing in a northeasterly direction to a point 
more than half way across to the other shore, 
where it turned abruptly to the northwest and 
led across a swamp about an eighth of a mile 
wide. A structure known as a "corduroy road " 
bridged the swamp and at its farther edge on 
the solid ground, about an eighth of a mile 
from the turn of the road, was a Confederate 
fort or earthwork at the foot of which was a 
moat. The water in the moat was on a level 
with that in the swamp. The earthwork ex- 
tended completely across the road and some 
distance on either side, its flanks being pro- 
tected by the swamp. It had but one face, 
being simply an earthwork, not a fort, and 
mounted three guns. The trees had been care- 
fully felled in the front of the work from the 
ditch to the bend in the road, their trunks 
toward the fort, their sharpened branches 
toward an advancing foe. This abatis was the 
full width of the earthwork at the ditch but 
became gradually wider toward the turn in the 
road, and through its center ran the corduroy 
causeway. On each side of the abatis was a 
veritable jungle of trees, thickets, and twisted 
vines and other undergrowth, while the swamp 



GOING IN TO A CTION. 1 2 7 



itself was a mass of mud and slime, sometimes 
knee deep, sometimes waist deep, with here and 
there a hump of tangled grass or the roots of a 
thicket projecting, the whole bottom covered 
with several inches of water. 

Official reports show that General Foster 
commenced the attack about 8 o'clock, a. m., 
with six Dahlgren boat howitzers. These were 
supported by the 21st Massachusetts, Colonel 
Upton, which in turn was supported by the 23rd 
Massachusetts. When the remainder of the 
brigade reached the field the 23rd and 27th 
Massachusetts with the 10th Connecticut were 
ordered into the swamp on the right to strike 
the enemy's left flank. On General Reno's 
arrival he sent word to Foster that his brigade 
would penetrate the dense woods on the left 
and endeavor to turn the right flank of the 
enemy. This was a most difficult task, owing 
to the natural obstacles to be overcome, in 
addition to the resistance offered by the enemy. 
The action had been progressing some time 
before Parke's brigade was ordered from its 
bivouac. Before reaching the bend the road 
was narrow and bordered by dense thickets 
and swamps. It was badly cut up and trampled 
by the march of the preceding troops, and that, 
and the heavy rain of the preceding night had 
made it little better than a wide ditch of mud 



128 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and water. Still it was the only means of 
passage through the thickets, and the soldiers 
laboriously slipped and struggled on, always 
hoping for a better road beyond. 

Only men who have never been in action 
before can thoroughly realize the carnage and 
horrors of a battlefield. While the 9th Regiment 
had been in the field about eight months, and 
during that time had seen some active service, 
still many of the men never saw a wounded 
man, and they were very naturally horror- 
stricken when they now saw scores of their 
comrades carried off the field, many of them in 
the agonies of death. It is far different with 
the veteran of many battles, to whom such 
scenes have become familiar. In the heat and 
roar of the sanguinary conflict he retains all his 
coolness, looking upon the terrible scenes 
around him as a matter of course. He is like 
the " Old Continental," who, when preparing to 
charge the enemy, would hum the tune: 

" Why soldiers, why, should we be melancholy, boys ? 
Whose business is to die — let us be jolly, boys ! " 

But the veterans are apt to forget their own 
first battle and to become impatient at the evi- 
dence of fear which so naturally appears among 
inexperienced troops, many of the most ner- 
vous of whom, however, become in a short time 
the very best and bravest of soldiers. 



DISPIRITING SIGHTS AND SOUNDS. 1 29 

This was well exemplified in the experience 
of the men in this regiment. While they were 
moving along the narrow road toward the 
point where the battle was being fought — 
which was the only inlet to the scene of action, 
as it was the only outlet for the wounded — 
momentarily expecting to be engaged in the 
conflict, they met great numbers of wounded 
men, some being carried on stretchers, some 
assisting each other as best they could, while 
others moved along unaided. 

This melancholy column which seemed to 
have no end, contained men with wounds of 
every character and degree of severity. As the 
maimed and injured were so very close at hand 
the nature of their wounds were plainly visible 
to all. Some poor fellows lay still and death- 
like on the stretcher. Some with naked breasts 
showed how hurried had been the surgeon's 
search to establish the location of a bullet- 
wound or to staunch a hemorrhage. On many 
were hastily noted the little round blue hole, 
with its darker center, the cause of which every 
soldier, as well as surgeon, knew so well. 

This was certainly a ghastly spectacle and of 
anything but an inspiring character to be wit- 
nessed by the men. It was a sight intensely 
trying, and a graphic object lesson, showing viv- 
idly what they themselves might expect to im- 



130 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

mediately encounter. Added to this was the 
ratling volleys of musketry, occasionally rising 
into a steady roar, punctuated by the crashing 
explosions of the big guns of the enemy and 
the spiteful barking of the boat howitzers op- 
posed to them. Now and again the deep- 
chested cheer of the northern soldiers or the 
shrill rebel yell would be heard as one or the 
other of the combatants gained a real or im- 
aginary advantage. No wonder some were 
unnerved and turned pale at the saddening 
sights and the nerve-shaking sounds, and it is 
only fair and honorable to acknowledge that 
many a face was blanched, and many a good 
and true man in the ranks would have been 
glad indeed to have honorably avoided the 
coming battle. 

Major Kimball, whose position in line brought 
him in more direct contact with the men than 
any of the other officers, was quick to perceive 
the effect produced on these boys whom he 
had hoped to see go into the engagement with 
a sort of triumphant hurrah. He did his best 
to counteract the effect which the sights just 
detailed produced. He tried to raise the spirits 
of the men by pretending to belittle the spec- 
tacle, saying it was merely a necessary incident 
of the battle ; that it did not amount to any- 
thing any way ; that there were not many 



MAJOR KIMBALL 'S EXHOR TA TION. 1 3 1 

wounded as compared with what he had ex- 
pected to see, judging from the amount of firing 
and noise at the front ; told them how his old 
regiment had fought in the Mexican War, and 
related acts of gallantry and heroism performed 
by its members, which he exhorted them to 
emulate, and reminded them that they were 
about being called upon to uphold the honor of 
their country and their regiment, and to remem- 
ber that they were American soldiers and to 
behave accordingly. 

This lesson had, without doubt, a good effect 
on the boys that heard it. The gallant conduct 
of the regiment that day as a whole, showed 
that the depressing effect of the sights and 
sounds, on the fringe of the battle, had only a 
temporary effect. Their conduct in the fight 
earned for them the unstinted commendation 
of their commanding officers, while the soldiers 
of the other regiments expressed their apprecia- 
tion of the conduct of the Zouaves by receiving 
them with cheers whenever one appeared among 
them, showering words of commendation and 
congratulation upon them without stint. 

When the regiment arrived at the bend in 
the road where the clearing in front of the rebel 
battery began, there were no bodies of troops 
visible other than of their own brigade on the 
road, and what seemed like a regiment some 



132 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

distance towards their right, lying down, al- 
though between, and among the trees on the 
left, men could be seen both singly and in 
squads, and heavy musketry firing could be 
heard in the woods on both left and right of 
the road. There was now nothing to obstruct 
the view between the Ninth and the rebel fort 
which was in plain sight. 

The six Dahlgrens were " in battery " at the 
bend in the road, but were not at the time in 
action. They had apparently been silenced. 
The bodies of several dead sailors lay around 
them, but no living sailor was in sight save one, 
an officer, who, with folded arms, was leaning 
on a howitzer, gazing at the fort. 

General Foster with several aids stood in 
open ground, apparently directing the move- 
ment of the troops, being concealed from the 
enemy's view by a small thicket. 

As Reno's advance had left the road clear, 
Parke's brigade was ordered by Foster to move 
directly forward in support of the 23d and 27th 
Massachusetts, which were then engaged in 
turning the enemy's left. 

The 4th Rhode Island was in advance, on 
the right of the brigade. To reach the Massa- 
chusetts troops it was necessary to leave the 
road at the turn, which was in the open ground, 
cross the rest of the cleared strip of swamp in 



THE ORDER TO CHARGE. 133 

front of the fort, and move into the thick woods 
beyond. The leading company of the Ninth 
and part of the second one had left the road 
and were working their way through the vines 
and thickets of the swamp when some one 
halted the regiment. The center and part of the 
right wing was in the open ground in front of 
the fort, and could distinctly see the movement 
of the men at the guns. 

When the halt was made word was passed 
forward for Colonel Hawkins, who was at the 
head of the regiment, to come back, but before 
he had time to do so, Kimball ran to where 
Foster stood to take any order he had to give. 
Whatever conversation occurred was quickly 
over, and Kimball, jerking off his overcoat, threw 
it from him, and drawing his sword, flourished 
it around his head and shouted with the full 
force of his lungs: " Now, boys, follow your old 
Major — Charge!" When this order was given 
there was a grand simultaneous rush toward the 
enemy, and the men who had the best ground 
to travel on were farthest to the front. There 
was no possibility of preserving company for- 
mation in this mad plunge and struggle, through 
swamps and abatis, over stumps and logs. 

To enable the reader to clearly understand 
the situation of affairs on the battleground at 
the moment the Ninth New York was halted, 



134 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and the word passed to the front for Colonel 
Hawkins, as above stated, reference is made to 
the official map of the battle, issued by authority 
of the War Department, in which the location 
of each of the regiments engaged is given, with 
distances from point to point, nature of the 
ground, and all other data necessary to give a 
clear conception of the plan of battle and the 
disposition of the Union forces. 

The map shows the road over which the 
troops advanced as running in a general north- 
east direction to the edge of the swamp, where 
it made a sharp turn — nearly a right angle — 
towards the northwest and continuing in that 
direction to the ditch in front of the battery, a 
distance of about one thousand feet from the 
bend of the road. The battery had a front of 
about one hundred and fifty feet, was crescent 
shaped and mounted three guns. The troops 
in position on the right of the road, operating 
against the enemy's left, were in the order named 
from right to left: the 23d Massachusetts, the 27th 
Massachusetts, the 51st Pennsylvania, the 10th 
Connecticut, and in the rear of that regiment 
the 25th Massachusetts, which had exhaust- 
ed its amunition and had been relieved by 
the 10th Connecticut. Some distance in front 
of the 10th Connecticut, very near the bend 
in the road, was the battery of boat howitzers. 



DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS. 13S 

On the left of the causeway, operating against 
the enemy's right, and in the order named 
from left to right were Companies A, G, D 
and I of the 51st New York, then the 21st 
Massachusetts, and behind it the remaining 
companies of the 51st New York, while on 
the rieht of the 21st Massachusetts was the 

o 

9th New Jersey. The general form of the line 
approached that of the letter V, with the point 
formed by the 25th Massachusetts and 10th 
Connecticut somewhat flattened. The road en- 
tered the V and turned toward the battery 
between the 10th Connecticut and 9th New 
Jersey. There were detachments of rebel in- 
fantry on each flank of the battery. The arms 
of the V were each about twelve hundred feet 
long and they extended so far toward the front 
that the head of each reached a point nearly, if 
not fully, on a line with the battery and distant 
from its flanks about three hundred and three 
hundred and fifty feet respectively. 

The Ninth had marched into the lower end 
of the V, which brought the 25th Massachusetts 
and 10th Connecticut on their right hand, 
and the enemy's battery on their left. The 
regiment had continued straight ahead when 
the bend in the road was reached, and conse- 
quently the head of the column, or right of the 
regiment, had left it at that point and plunged 



136 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

into the swamp, following its leading regiment, 
the 4th Rhode Island, in obedience to the orders 
to get on the left flank of the battery. The 
company on the right and a few files at 
the head of the one following it, was the only 
portion of the command that had abandoned 
the road when the halt was ordered and word 
passed to the front that Colonel Hawkins was 
wanted by some one in authority ; presumably 
General Foster. 

The left wing of the regiment had not yet 
emerged from the woods into the open space in 
front of the work where the timber had been 
felled, and which was only little more in width 
than the face of the battery itself, say, two hun- 
dred feet, therefore, only a few of the companies 
were then visible to the rebels or exposed to 
their fire. 

All the other regiments, as above named, ex- 
cept the 25th Massachusetts, which had been 
withdrawn, and part of the 10th Connecticut, 
which was on dry ground, were struggling as 
best they could through the mire and amidst 
the dense vegetation of a North Carolina 
swamp, with the water, mud and ooze in no 
place less than knee deep, and in many places 
fully waist deep, with the view, beyond the dis- 
tance of a few feet, shut off entirely, and all 
progress rendered almost impossible by nearly 



DIFFICUL TIES EN CO UNTERED. 1 3 7 

impenetrable thickets of laurel, briers and cling- 
ing vines and the many other luxuriant growths 
of an almost semi-tropical jungle. It must 
be borne in mind that in the limited space into 
which the attacking force was crowded — several 
thousand men being obliged to operate and 
manoeuver in an area in which two, or, at the 
most, three regiments would have been amply 
sufficient to cover properly — the different com- 
mands must of necessity have overlapped each 
other greatly. The regiments, with the ex- 
ception of the Ninth New York, were all en- 
tirely new ones. They had only a short time 
before arrived from Annapolis, where they had 
been gathered together to form the Burnside 
Expedition ; had never before seen any active 
service, in fact most of them had but a very 
limited knowledge of drill, and they were now, 
if we except the short sojourn on Hatteras, 
getting their first experience on the soil of 
the Southern Confederacy. These men were 
crowded into the swamp, regiment after regi- 
ment, until the various organizations were 
merged in a crowd or mob. From the nature of 
the surroundings, being unable to see what was 
going on about them, being deprived of the ex- 
ample and of the controlling influence of their 
officers, by reason of being generally hidden 
from their view by the thick foliage of the 



138 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

swamp, the men were obliged to act individ- 
ually, and as is to be expected under such cir- 
cumstances, it was only the best men among 
them, those strongly imbued with the spirit of 
duty and patriotism — and there were many 
such — who succeeded in struo^rlino- forward to 
a position from which they could occasionally 
get a glimpse of the enemy through the inter- 
vening trees and underbrush, and actually join 
in the battle. 

When the Ninth received the order to charge, 
the companies which were in the open ground 
immediately changed direction by the left flank 
and rushed directly toward the battery, through 
the abatis and along the corduroy road, the 
other companies pouring in behind them. The 
right flank company, which was already among 
the tangled thickets of the swamp, retracing the 
few steps necessary to regain the road, and 
joining in the movement. In an instant the 
whole width of the cleared space in front of 
the battery was filled with a mass of rushing 
Zouaves, and the air resounded with their 
shouts. The enemy at once opened fire with 
his artillery, which had been silent for a few 
minutes, and seemed to redouble that of his 
musketry. From the manner in which the 
regiment doubled on itself — if the use of the 
term niay be permitted — when the first rush 



COLONEL DE MONTEIL KLLLED. 139 

was made, the right center becoming the front, 
and the men toward the right of that front 
having the advantage of the firm footing of the 
road and being able to maintain their advanced 
position throughout, the colors of the regiment 
had no opportunity to, and did not succeed in 
getting to the front at any time during the 
charge, and, therefore, were not with those men 
who first gained the parapet of the fort. 

When the Zouaves had covered about one- 
half the distance to the works the enemy 
succeeded in checking their advance for a 
moment. There was a temporary halt, Kimball 
had disappeared for an instant, stumbled into a 
bog-hole it was said, and some of the men 
began firing. The enemy's musketry fire was 
sharp and effective. The artillery fire was wild 
and high however, and the only effect it pro- 
duced was to shower down leaves and branches 
from the trees on the heads of the men beneath. 
A few men fell here — not many, but as they fell 
and lay they looked to the others like a great 
many. Lieut-Colonel DeMonteil was killed 
here. He was Lieutenant-Colonel of the 
D'Epaneuil Zouaves, and had marched into the 
engagement with Colonel Hawkins at the head 
of the Ninth, as a volunteer carrying a carbine. 
At the moment of the check in the advance he 
had leaped on the trunk of a fallen tree and 



140 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

striding back and forth, shouted: "Do not dis- 
charge ze cartridge, my children! Forward wiz 
ze bayonet! Forward wiz ze bayonet! Charge, 
mes enfants / " and other exhortations of a like 
character, when he suddenly plunged forward 
into the water beneath him, killed as quickly as 
though struck by lightning. 

His reckless courage was most marked and 
attracted the attention and excited the admira- 
tion of all who saw him. No man ever died 
more bravely. 

The reports in relation to his identity and 
antecedents, which at the time and subsequently, 
gained currency among the soldiers of the 
Ninth, and which, although not confirmed from 
any responsible source, there is no reason to 
doubt, were to the effect that he was a major in 
the Marine Service of France and had procured 
leave of absence, or permission from his govern- 
ment, to come to the United States for the 
purpose of entering the military service and 
taking part in the war. His body was sent 
north by Colonel Hawkins, consigned to the 
care of some of his — Colonel H's — friends 
in New York, who honored it with a soldiers 
burial in Greenwood Cemetery, and raised a 
fitting monument over the grave. 

Among the men who were hit here about the 
time Lieut-Colonel DeMonteil was killed, were 



A TEMPORAR Y CHECK. 1 4 1 

Snow and Donovan, of Company A, the latter 
very seriously; Lieut. Geo. W. Debevoise of 
the same company, who was disabled for duty 
for several months; Scannel, of Company K, 
mortally, and others whose names cannot now 
be recalled. Captain Jardine, of Company G, 
and Captain Graham of Company A, were both 
in the front rank, and each seized muskets from 
the men crouched near them and fired into the 
middle embrasure of the fort, where the enemy 
could be seen at work at their guns. Each of 
the officers named fired two or three shots. 

As said before, the check was only momentary. 
Some one shouted: "What's the matter here? 
Forward ! " and the cry of " Forward the Ninth! 

Forward, Company !" was raised by the 

officers at the front. The men responded 
instantly and dashed forward, that is some of 
them did, those on the road. The others 
struggled and wallowed in the same direction. 
Struggled through the abatis and wallowed 
through the deep swamp mud. Soon after 
this second rush had fairly begun the fire from 
the fort began to slacken, and by the time the 
advance had reached the moat it had ceased 
altogether. The men swarmed over the para- 
pet and through the embrasures and the battle 
of Roanoke Island was won. 

From the instant the order to charge was 



142 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

given, in fact, from the time the regiment first 
arrived on the ground, until the men began 
to pour over the works, not more than five 
minutes had elapsed. 

A small flag of the enemy's, apparently a 
presentation flag, as it had a deep bullion fringe 
and was handsomely mounted, was flying inside 
the works and some of those who first sprang 
into the fort made a rush to secure it. Private 
Caster, of Company C, was the successful one 
and after a struggle tore it from the staff and 
concealed it inside his blouse. The staff was 
broken in the melee and the metal plate, bearing 
a presentation inscription, was secured by an- 
other of the boys, who cannot now be iden- 
tified. Caster retained possession of this flag 
until his death, when it became the property 
of John Hassall, Casters friend and intimate 
associate before and after the war, and his tent- 
mate and bunkie during the service. He still 
has the flag in his possession. 

The advance of the regiment had barely 
reached the inside of the works, in fact the main 
body of the regiment was still pouring in over 
the parapet, when scattered bodies of troops 
emerged from the swamp and woods on the 
right, followed directly by their main body, and 
entered the works from that direction. Almost 
at the same instant the soldiers who had been 



HOW THE TROOPS CAME IA T . 148 

operating on the right appeared around the left 
of the work, and in a moment what might be 
called a river of men swarmed in from both 
directions. 

These troops which had been working their 
way forward against either flank of the enemy 
were well advanced to positions very near the 
fort when General Foster ordered the Ninth to 
charge, and they had seized the proper moment 
to make the final rush; therefore, they arrived 
in the battery almost at the same moment and 
nearly simultaneous with the Ninth, although 
they came around the flanks of the works — not 
over the ditch and parapet. As a matter of 
fact the troops which came toward the right 
of the battery had their colors at their front 
when they emerged from the swamp, and 
planted them on the parapet before the color- 
bearers of the Ninth, who, from the nature of 
the ground, and the way in which the regiment 
doubled on itself when the charge began — 
which prevented them from getting near the 
front during its continuance — could pass theirs 
up over the ditch to their comrades on the 
parapet. The men of the Ninth, who consid- 
ered themselves veterans as compared with the 
other regiments, were not slow in according to 
each of them full credit for their resolute conduct 
during the battle. They had been exposed for 



1 44 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

hours to a galling and destructive fire from an 
entrenched and unseen foe, and their losses 
more eloquently than words, tell of their 
bravery and firmness throughout the trying 
ordeal. 

This meager account of the charge of the 9th 
New York at the battle of Roanoke Island is 
due solely to the fact that it is restricted to 
incidents which occurred under the immediate 
observation of the writer and as his opportuni- 
ties for observation were limited the narative 
must necessarily be so also. No doubt many 
stirring incidents and acts of gallantry occurred, 
which he would have proudly recorded had he 
witnessed them, but his field of observation 
was very limited just then. 

The men of the Ninth who were first in the 
enemy's works, who had secured and main- 
tained a leading position in the charge and had 
arrived on the parapet in advance of their 
comrades, enjoyed the privilege of viewing an 
awe-inspiring spectacle, namely, the charging 
regiment of a thousand men sweeping toward 
them like an irresistible torrent, their eyes 
aflame with passion and faces distorted by the 
tigerish instinct and the desire to kill, aroused 
by the sight of their slain and wounded 
comrades. 

Soldiers often discuss among themselves 



WHY ASSA UL TS ARE SUCCESSFl L. 1 45 

the whys and wherefores of victory or defeat, 
and the reasons why troops behind earthworks 
protected by a shoulder-high parapet and a 
wide and deep ditch, will permit themselves to 
be dislodged by others from the outside, who 
must, in order to do so, overcome the obstacles 
in front of the works, wade the ditch and climb 
the steep face of the parapet in the face of the 
fire, and opposed by the bayonets of the de- 
fenders. To these men of the Ninth who, on 
this occasion, gained the parapet in advance of 
the mass of the regiment, and had one back- 
ward glance at the rushing, shouting torrent of 
savage humanity below them, it was no longer 
a mystery. The appearance of this seemingly 
irresistible wave of maddened men rushing 
toward them seems to strike terror into the de- 
fenders, and hope of successful resistance is 
abandoned and they fly — Sauve qui pent — with- 
out waiting for the real struggle to begin. 

This scattered few of the Ninth who first 
mounted the parapet (not separated from the 
regiment at all, simply the first) were from 
several companies. They arrived in time to 
see the last of the rebel defenders disappearing 
among the trees towards their rear. During 
the minute that elapsed before the reforming 
of the regiment began, they had time to notice 
that this place, which for several hours had 



146 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

been the center of a maelstrom of bullets and 
shells and struggling men, was just then 
singularly quiet and peaceful like. A few dead 
men lay near the guns, one lying on his back 
beside the big Dahlgren with the lanyard still 
in his hand. 

As the regiment moved out of the place a 
few moments afterward, a number of others 
were seen just outside the work all decently 
arranged in rows. 

Charles Curie, of Company C, who was one 
of the group which first reached the parapet, 
relates that as he lingered for an instant to 
catch a general view of the situation, before 
joining with the others of his company — who 
were rapidly arriving — in reforming it, his 
attention was attracted by a body of soldiers 
emerging from the swamp on the right of the 
battery and a little in rear of it. They appeared 
to be from two different organizations, each 
had a flag, one a white State ensign, and the 
other a United States regimental color. There 
appeared to be about a company of each. They 
were close together and Curie's attention was 
specially arrested by the way in which they 
advanced out of the thickets. Instead of rush- 
ing forward, as might be expected, each one ap- 
peared to be wholly engrossed in a strained 
effort to maintain a correct alignment, their 



WHA T CURIE SAW. 147 

officers being active in their efforts to preserve 
an imposing front. When they saw the fort 
and the situation, each of the color bearers, with 
several others, ran directly toward the parapet, 
evidently breaking away from the control of 
their officers, and each planted his flag on the 
work at about the same moment. At the same 
instant another and larger group separated 
from both bodies and rushed to the flag-staff 
of the fort, which was at least fifty paces in 
rear of the guns, and hauled down the rebel 
flag which the enemy in their sudden flight 
had left flying, and struggled fiercely among 
themselves for possession of it. All these 
occurrences took place in an instant. They 
flashed into view and became sensible to the 
eye like an instantaneous photograph. While 
chagrin at the loss of this opportunity was still 
in a nebulous shape in his mind, and a deter- 
mination was forming to take a hand in the 
fight for the rebel flag, Corporal Latham A. 
Fish, of his company, directed him to "fall in," 
and Curie took his place in the ranks and in a 
few moments, with the rest of the regiment, 
was moving up the road in pursuit of the 
enemy. 

There was very little delay in resuming the 
advance after the place had been taken. All 
of the enemy had disappeared except such as 



148 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

were too badly wounded to get away un- 
assisted. The various companies were im- 
mediately reformed by their respective first- 
sergeants and without an instant's delay 
pushed forward in pursuit of the rapidly re- 
treating enemy. In the plan of the defenses of 
the island, this battery (Fort Defiance) was the 
key, and when captured it permitted the other 
forts to be attacked from the rear, when, with 
the fleet in front, and the infantry well posted 
in the rear, further resistance was useless and 
nothing remained for the garrisons but to 
surrender. 

The "Ninth" was sent to the right of the 
road by General Reno, and succeeded in cap- 
turing a number of prisoners who were endeav- 
oring to escape through Shallow Bag Bay, 
among them being Capt. O. Jennings Wise, a 
son of Governor Wise, of Virginia. He was 
very severely wounded and died from the 
effects next day. 

Early in the evening of his capture, after his 
wounds had been dressed by Assistant Surgeon 
White, he was taken to the house of a Mr. 
Jarvis, which was being used for a hospital and 
near which the regiment was in bivouac, and 
while being carried past the men who had 
pressed forward to look at him, he extended 
his hand, in a gesture, toward them and said: 



CAPTAIN WISE'S OPINION. 1 49 

"You are the only men who fought to-day." 
Afterward, just before his death, while in con- 
versation with Major Kimball, he stated that in 
his opinion the battery could have defied all the 
troops on the island for days, had the fighting 
aeainst it been continued in the same manner 

o 

in which it was carried on during the morning, 
or until the arrival of the "Red Caps," as he 
designated them. He said that at the begin- 
ning of the charge he thought the regiment 
had been utterly annihilated by the grape and 
canister when the men threw themselves on 
the ground, when the artillery first opened on 
them, but when they again sprang to their feet 
and rushed forward with yells, their men fled 
more frightened than hurt. "We were actually 
scared from our position," he said. 

The other troops pushed on rapidly up the 
road and captured the main camp of the enemy 
with a large number of men, then dividing 
into detachments they moved on the other three 
forts which were still engaging the gunboats, 
and demanded their surrender, which was 
acceded to. 

Long before nightfall all firing had ceased. 
The forts on the Roanoke Sound side of the 
island had surrendered ; the various bodies of 
the enemy's troops had thrown down their 
arms and been placed under guard, and the 
victorious troops went into bivouac. 



ISO NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

There was a saying among soldiers during 
the war which was to the effect " That nothing- 
is easier than to show how to win a battle that 
has just been lost." This was, as true of the 
battle of Roanoke Island as of any of the others 
fought during the Rebellion. When it was 
learned that the prisoners taken numbered sev- 
eral thousand, it seemed unexplainable why the 
enemy had not brought them all into action 
and utilized them at and near the interior bat- 
tery to defend that place. Had they done so it 
would seem they could easily have prevented 
the Union troops from crossing the swamp 
at all, which it was afterward discovered ex- 
tended clear across the island from one shore 
to the other, and was an excellent place at 
which to establish a line of defense. As it was, 
they appeared to have had only a few hundred 
men actually engaged at that place, while the 
bulk of their forces remained idly in their 
camps and rendered no assistance whatever to 
the comparatively few who were engaged. The 
fight lasted several hours, giving ample time 
for them not only to reinforce the point at- 
tacked, but to make disposition of their troops 
at their leisure. 

Such portions of the official reports of the 
generals in command, as related directly to the 
9th New York, are given, as follows : 



OFFICIAL REPORTS OF THE BATTLE. 151 

General Foster, the ranking officer present 
and in actual command, says: 

"After the engagement had lasted sometime, the 9th New York 
coming on the field, I directed General Parke to order it to charge. 
The order was given, and the regiment charged at a run with yells, 
cheered by the other troops, right up the road at the battery. Major 
Kimball of this regiment, exhibited marked gallantry, leading the 
charge by several rods." 

General Parke, who commanded the brigade 
of which the Ninth was a part, in his report says : 

"It being now ascertained that the natural obstacles on this 
line (the original line of attack), were of so serious a character, 
and that the delay in the progress of the troops through the swamps 
was so great, it was decided to change the course of the 9th New 
York, and the order was sent to the Colonel to turn to the left 
and charge the battery directly up the road, and the regiment with a 
hearty yell and cheer, struck into the road, and made for the battery 
on the run. 

"The order was given to charge the enemy with fixed bayonets. This 
was done in gallant style, Major Kimball taking the lead. The Major 
was very conspicuous during the movement, and I take great pleasure 
in commending him to your favorable notice." 

Careful research among the "Official Records" 
has failed to find mention of a bayonet charge 
at an earlier date than the above, and we will 
leave the discovery of such to others. 

General Burnside, in his report to the War 
Department, says : 

* * * "After Reno had cleared the road Parke's brigade arrived and 
was ordered by Foster to support the 23d and 27th Massachusetts, who 
were turning the enemy's left flank. The 4th Rhode Island led the 
movement, and just as the 9th New York entered the wood, following 
it, Foster and Parke found that Reno's appearance on the enemy's 
left had staggered him, and they decided to order the gth New York 
to charge the battery in front, which was instantly done, and at once 
the road was filled with a sea of red caps, the air resounding with their 
cheers. * * * The merit of first entering the fort is claimed by the 21st 
Massachusetts and the 51st New York." 



152 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Captain Thomas H. Parker, of the 51st Penn- 
sylvania, in his history of that regiment, says: 

"While nearly on the flank of the works (referring to position of 51st 
Pennsylvania), and making efforts to get across to the fort, a distance 
of about 150 yards, the 9th New York charged in solid column up the 
road into the fort, capturing the three guns, etc." 

Frank Vizitelly, the well known war corre- 
spondent and artist for the London Illustrated 
News, was just in the rear of the Ninth when 
the charge was made. He made a drawing of it, 
which was published in his paper and was repro- 
duced afterward and published by a New York 
illustrated paper. After the excitement of the 
fight was over he sought an introduction to 
Colonel Hawkins, whom he complimented very 
highly on the conduct of the regiment, saying 
the charge was the best thing he had ever seen 
done by a green regiment and congratulated 
him upon being its commander. 

Mr. Vizitelly had seen service in various 
lands, and under many conditions, and his 
commendations were of the highest value, com- 
ing as they did from one who was perfectly 
impartial in his feelings toward any or all of the 
regiments engaged, and whose opinion and 
judgment were valuable by reason of his ex- 
perience. 

The following is a copy of Colonel Hawkins' 
report to his immediate superior : 



COLONEL HAWKINS 1 REPORT. 153 

Roanoke Island, N. C, Feb. 9, 1862. 
Brig.-General John G. Parke. 

General: — Agreeably to your orders the Ninth New York Volunteers 
disembarked from the transports and landed upon the Island on the 
evening of the 7th inst. The next morning the regiment, with others 
of your brigade, were ordered out to reinforce the brigades of 
Generals Reno and Foster, which had been engaged about two and 
one-half hours. Upon reaching the battle-ground I was ordered to 
outflank the enemy on their left, where they were in position behind 
an entrenchment mounting three guns. After leading the Ninth New 
York into a marsh immediately in front of the enemy's works, under 
a heavy fire from them of grape and musketry, the order was given to 
charge the rebels with fixed bayonets. This was done in gallant style, 
Major Kimball taking the lead. The enemy's works were soon carried 
and hastily abandoned by them. All officers and men of the regiment 
behaved with great gallantry and bravery; it is impossible to say who 
is most deserving, or who merits the most applause. In my opinion all 
deserve credit and praise alike. 

After this we were ordered to pursue the rebels, which we did, and 
succeeded in taking 'some forty prisoners ; among them were several 
officers and men of the Richmond Blues, who had composed a part of 
the Wise Legion, with Captain O. Jennings Wise at their head, who 
was badly wounded and was trying to make his escape to Nag's Head. 

I regret that I have to report the death of M. De Monteil, Lieut.-Colo- 
nel of the D'Epaneuil Zouaves, who^went into the fight with the Ninth 
New York as a volunteer. He was killed instantly while nobly urging 
my men on to the charge. He dies greatly lamented by all the officers 
and men of the regiment who came in contact with him. His bravery 
was as great as his patriotism was sincere, and I cannot but feel that 
had he lived he would have proved a most valuable officer. 

The Ninth New York had two officers and thirteen privates wounded. 
Very respectfully yours, etc., 

RUSH C. HAWKINS, 
Colonel Ninth New York Volunteers. 

That night the " Ninth" occupied a cornfield 
near a house which during the day had been 
turned into a hospital for the rebels, and which 
was now crowded with the wounded of both 
sides, and the shrieks and groans were pitiful 
in the extreme. Again it rained hard the entire 



154 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

night, but the men were too exhausted to mind 
the elements, and slept soundly through it all. 
They had been on foot continuously from the 
previous afternoon when ordered to "fall in" 
for disembarkation and from that time until 
arms were stacked in the cornfield on the night 
of the 8th, not one man in twenty of the entire 
regiment had sat down for a moment. All had 
been soaked to the skin by the rain of the 
previous night, as well as by the mud and 
w r ater in swamp and ditch during the assault, 
and had reached the conclusion that there was 
just a trifle too much water " in their n." Both 
officers and men were young and in rugged 
health, while out-of-door life and plenty of 
exercise with abundance of plain food (hard- 
tack, coffee and salt-horse), enabled all, with 
the exception of the unfortunates on guard duty, 
to rise the following morning refreshed and 
ready and willing for any duty they might be 
called upon to perform. For several days fol- 
lowing they were busily occupied in securing 
captured arms, guarding and otherwise caring 
for prisoners and performing other duties of a 
similar character. 

The prisoners were several thousands in 
number, and a most motley crew they were. 
The conditions under which they were viewed 
were the worst possible. The rain had fallen 



THE PRISONERS AS THEY APPEARED. 155 

in torrents almost continuously for more than 
forty-eight hours, and their clothing was soaked 
and heavy with it. They were, so to speak, 
rounded up like a herd of cattle in a convenient 
field, absolutely without shelter and surrounded 
by a line of guards. Above all, they were 
beaten men, defeated on their own ground, 
prisoners in their own camps, melancholy and 
discouraged, and it was difficult to repress a 
feeling of pity for the poor unfortunates. They 
seemed to be Virginians, Georgians and North 
Carolinians principally. Most of them were 
clothed in a plain, serviceable, soldier-like uni- 
form, and armed in military style. These were 
principally Georgians. A number of the Vir- 
ginians sported militia uniforms of the style and 
fashion of the period of the Mexican War. 
There were also independent companies armed 
with whatever kind of firearm the individual 
owned when he entered the service, single or 
double-barrel shot gun, rifle or musket. Num- 
bers of them were supplied with a weapon 
which appeared to be a combination of knife 
and sword. These were plainly of home manu- 
facture, having been forged on an anvil ; some 
were fitted with wooden hilts, the blade being 
from fifteen to twenty-four inches long, and 
somewhat similar in shape to a sword bayonet. 
A cord several feet long was attached to the 



156 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

hilt, which was for the purpose of enabling 
the wearer to recover the weapon after it had 
been hurled at the enemy. When the manner 
of using this sword was explained to him by a 
prisoner, one of Company As men expressed 
his opinion of the efficiency of the weapon by 
remarking: "While you was foolin' round me 
with that thing I would be pickin' your teeth 
with this bayonet." 

Several of these companies were, or rather 
had been, happy owners of really handsome silk 
flags, the name of the companies being skill- 
fully embroidered upon them. One bore the 
appellation "Tar River Rangers," another, of 
which even some of the " tar heels " and "tur- 
pentine scrapers" seemed ashamed, was em- 
blazoned " Yankee Fool Killers." 



CHAPTER VII. 

EXPEDITIONS TO NAG'S HEAD AND WINTON, N. C. 

NINTH REGIMENT GARRISONS ROANOKE 

ISLAND — RESIGNATION OF LIEUTENANT- 
COLONEL BETTS — EXPEDITION UNDER MA- 
JOR JARDINE EXPEDITION TO SOUTH MILLS 

— TERRIFIC MARCH — BATTLE OF SOUTH 
MILLS OR CAMDEN — HEAVY LOSS OF THE 
NINTH — DEATH OF ADJUTANT GADSDEN — 
RETURN TO ROANOKE — RETROSPECTION — 
GENERAL RENO'S REPORT OF BATTLE — 
COLONEL HAWKINS' REPORT. 

THE battle of Roanoke Island was fought on 
the 8th of February, 1862. The following 
day was a busy one for the regiment, being 
spent in gathering the scattered prisoners and 
securing them, as well as in furnishing details 
to guard and escort them, and to take charge of 
captured camps and stores in and about the 
forts and batteries. The regiment did not act as 
a whole, but in detachments, at the various 
points where their services were required. 
That night the command reassembled and bi- 
vouacked in the woods. 



1S8 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

When morning came they were marched to 
the shore of Croaton Sound and again boarded 
the transports in which they had come from 
Hatteras. They were glad, indeed, to return to 
their old quarters and " seek the seclusion that 
the cabin grants." Hardly had the various 
companies arrived on their respective vessels, 
however, than an order was received for a de- 
tail of two companies for a reconnaissance to 
Nag's Head. This was a summer watering place 
much patronized by well-to-do Virginians be- 
fore the war, situated on the narrow neck of 
mainland between Roanoke Sound and the 
ocean. It was nearly opposite Roanoke Island 
and distant therefrom five or six miles. But 
the fleet lay on the westerly side of the island, 
which it was necessary to circumnavigate in 
order to reach the desired point, and this added 
very much to the distance to be sailed to reach 
Nag's Head. Companies B and H were desig- 
nated for the detail. They were ordered to 
" fall in " for this duty just as they had begun 
to cook their rations for the first " square meal " 
they had had since they left the transports, 
three days before. Hungry stomachs and wist- 
ful eyes turned reluctantly from the savory 
odors of sputtering pork and steaming coffee, 
as each man followed his duty, and as their 
more fortunate comrades smacked their lips 



RECONNAISSANCE TO NAG'S HEAD. 1 59 

over their meal, the boys of B and H, under 
the immediate command of Colonel Hawkins, 
hurried aboard the steamer "Picket." The 
officers of the " Picket," however, generously 
provided the boys with coffee and crackers, 
which revived their flagging spirits, and as a 
sense of comfort gradually stole over them the 
nervous tension relaxed and they broke forth 
in song and jest and gleeful antics, much to the 
edification and amusement of the sailors. Not- 
withstanding the fact that the vessel was very 
much overcrowded, and that rain and snow fell 
alternately throughout the night, a very comfor- 
table time was passed. 

After they had accomplished the object of 
the reconnaissance the troops returned on the 
steamer to the transports. 

The following is Colonel Hawkins' report of 
the reconnaissance: 

Steamer "Virginia," Feb. n, 1S62. 
Gen. J. G. Parke: 

General: — In accordance with orders received from you on the 10th 
inst. , I proceeded with two companies of the Ninth New York Volun- 
teers on board the steamer " Picket " to Nag's Head, and this morning 
landed at the wharf opposite to where the hotel formerly stood. I 
learned that General Wise left there about an hour and a half before 
sundown last Saturday, taking with him about three hundred and fifty 
men belonging to the " Wise Legion." 

Wise, in order to carry out the plans of the vandals and ruffians (the 
tribe to which he belongs), burned the hotel and several of the resi- 
dences, destroying a large amount of property, but little use to anyone. 
Very respectfully yours, 

RUSH C HAWKINS, 
Colonel Ninth New York Volunteers. 



160 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Meanwhile the prisoners captured on Roa- 
noke Island had been sent North, and a survey 
of new fields for conquest made. A rumor 
reached the commander of the forces that cer- 
tain loyal North Carolinians at Winton, on the 
Chowan River, were seeking a junction with the 
Union forces. This rumor caused the General 
to send the larger portion of the fleet of gun- 
boats, together with the 9th New York, to 
Winton to succor them. The fleet for this 
expedition mounted thirty-three guns and was 
commanded by Commodore Rowan. 

At noon on the 18th the little fleet started, 
but when about half the distance had been 
covered anchored for the night. On the follow- 
ing day when but a short distance from Winton, 
and while proceeding up the river in single 
file Commodore Rowan on the " Delaware " 
being ahead, closely followed by the " Perry," 
commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Flus- 
ser, with Company A, of the Ninth, on board, 
the other companies being distributed among 
the fleet, it was suddenly fired upon with both 
artillery and musketry from the shore. The 
call " to quarters " was beaten, every man 
slipped into his place, and in less than sixty 
seconds such a shower of 9-inch Dahlgren and 
100-pound Parrot shells began to fall around 
and among the enemy on shore, that their fire 



THE A TTA CK ON THE G I WBOA TS. 161 

ceased at once and they scattered and tem- 
porarily disappeared. They nevertheless man- 
aged to keep up an ineffective musketry fire 
from sheltered places. As it was late in the 
day and falling dusk it was not thought judi- 
cious to attempt a landing then, so the fleet 
dropped down the river to a point where it was 
wide enough to afford a place for easy defense. 
Flusser with the " Perry " covered this move- 
ment. When the Confederates saw that the 
fleet was retiring they evidently supposed it 
had been beaten off, as they appeared in con- 
siderable force on both banks of the river, their 
mounted men riding along abreast of the 
" Perry," keeping up an intermittent musketry 
fire. Occasionally there came a shot from a 
field gun, but there was no damage done, and 
they found the return fire from 9-inch cannon 
quite interesting. 

While the vessels were at anchor the men 
learned for the first time that there had been 
another object in view for the expedition in 
addition to the rescue of the alleged loyalists. 
This was the destruction of the bridges over 
the Nottoway and Blackwater Rivers, of the 
Roanoke and Seaboard R.R. For this purpose 
small packages of oakum and kindling wood 
were distributed among the men. 

On the following morning the fleet again pro- 



1 62 NINTH REGIMENT, NE // ' ) r ORK J VL I NTEERS. 

ceeded up the river to Winton, carefully shell- 
ing the adjacent woods and the town. The 
regiment was landed, and while part of it occu- 
pied the town, strong detachments were thrown 
forward on all the roads leading into the 
country, in search of the enemy. Plenty of 
evidence was visible that the place had been re- 
cently occupied by a strong force, and that it 
was a depot of supplies for the Confederate 
army. On account of the quantities of military 
stores found, which it was then impossible to 
take away, and for other reasons, which are set 
forth in Colonel Hawkins' report, it was decided 
to burn the town. This was done, the troops 
remaining until the fire was well under way 
and the total destruction of the place was 
assured, when they retired to the gunboats. 

This affair, which gave warning to the enemy 
and prevented anything in the nature of a sur- 
prise taking place, made the pursuance of the 
bridge-burning project impracticable, and it was 
abandoned. The story concerning loyalists 
who were reported to be so anxious to join 
the Union forces proved to be a myth. None 
but enemies were found at Winton. The fleet 
returned to Roanoke Island and the troops 
joined the others in preparing for an advance 
on Newberne, which was decided to be the 
next point of attack. 



COLONEL HAWKINS' REPORT. 163 

Colonel Hawkins' official report of this affair 
is as follows : 

Steamer "Virginia," Roanoke Island, N. C., Feb. 21, 1862. 
Brig. -General J. G. Parke: 

General: — In accordance with your orders of the 16th inst., I called 
upon Commodore Rowan, and made arrangements to embark my regi- 
ment on board some of the gunboats of his division for the purpose of 
proceeding up the Blackwater and Nottoway rivers, and destroying the 
bridges over them of the Roanoke and Seaboard Railroad. 

At 12 o'clock M. of the 18th inst., the regiment was embarked and 
the expedition got under way, and that night anchored off the mouth 
of the Roanoke river, where it remained until 10 a. m., of the following 
day, and then commenced its advance up the Chowan river. Nothing 
of importance occurred till about 3.30 p. m. , the flag steamer " Dela- 
ware" being about one mile ahead of any of the other boats. I was 
on the cross-trees of the mainmast, where I had been on the lookout 
for about two hours, and the steamer was within three hundred and 
fifty yards of the wharf at Winton, when I discovered that the high 
bank we were rapidly approaching was covered with Confederate 
soldiers. I immediately gave the alarm, but not in time to change the 
course of the boat until she had got within one hundred yards of the 
shore, when we received the fire of seven hundred infantry or more, 
which continued until we had passed up the river out of range, when 
we turned about and began shelling the town, the enemy returning 
the fire with four pieces of field artillery from the shore. In the mean- 
time the gunboat " Perry" having come within range, opened upon 
the rebels from below. Soon after the enemy was dislodged and retired, 
when the " Delaware " returned down the river, receiving four shots 
when she passed the wharf. The whole fleet came to anchor 
about seven miles below Winton. A consultation was held and it was 
then agreed to advance again next morning and burn the town if 
found occupied by the enemy. 

About ir. 30 a. m., of the 20th inst., our gunboats arrived at and 
took their positions, some above, some opposite and others below the 
town, when the guns commenced firing, giving the place an effective 
shelling, and in about twenty minutes my regiment landed, accom- 
panied by three guns under the command of Lieutenant Flusser, 
of the Commodore Perry. The guns were placed in position so as to 
command the approaches to the town, and the regiment was drawn up 
in line awaiting the attack of the enemy. In the meantime parties of 
observation and scouts were sent out in all directions. It was soon 
ascertained that the rebels had retreated as soon as our forces came in 
sight that morning, leaving everything behind excepting arms and 



164 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

accoutrements. Six companies of my regiment took possession of the 
main approach to the town, and I commenced making a personal in- 
spection of all the buildings. I found that nearly the whole had been 
taken possession of and occupied by the Confederate troops as quarters 
and store-houses. I then ordered that every building containing stores 
for the enemy or used by them as quarters, should be fired, and placed 
guards in the others to see that they were not disturbed or destroyed. 

The property consumed belonging to the Confederate forces, con- 
sisted of bacon, cornmeal, sugar, powder, mess-pans, camp kettles, 
haversacks, canteens, etc., the whole worth not less than $10,000. 

This, I believe, is the first instance during the war where on our side 
fire had accompanied the sword. It is to be regretted that such severe 
measures have to be resorted to; they can only be justified on the 
grounds 

First. Retaliation for trying to decoy us into a trap at the time of 
firing into the " Delaware." Evidence of this is that a negress, the 
property of one of the Confederate officers, was sent down to the wharf 
by her master to beckon us into the landing, when we were all to be 
slaughtered, or in the words of the negress: " Dey said that dey want 
gwine to let anybody lib at all, but wasgwine to kill ebery one ob 'em." 
We were to have received no quarter. 

Second. The buildings fired had been used by the rebel forces as 
store-houses and quarters. 

From information obtained at Winton, we came to the conclusion 
that it would be impossible to accomplish the original object and aim 
of the expedition, so it had to be abandoned. 

The forces at Winton, as near as I could ascertain, consisted of six 
companies of the First Battalion, North Carolina Volunteers, under 
command of Lieut. Col. William T. Williams, one battery of light 
artillery, one company of the Southampton Cavalry, and one or two 
companies of North Carolina Militia; the whole under the charge 
of Lieutenant-Colonel Williams. 

I am happy to inform you that none of our forces were injured. The 
enemy sustained some considerable loss from the fire of our gunboats 
on the 19th, but I am not able to state how many were either killed or 
wounded. 

The troops under my command and the officers and sailors of the 
gunboats behaved exceedingly well, and performed all of the various 
duties with promptness and alacrity. 

I feel greatly indebted to Commodore S. C. Rowan and the lieu- 
tenants in command of the gunboats, for their attention to the wants 
and comforts of my regiment, and also for their hearty co-operation in 
trying to carry out the object of the expedition. 

I am most faithfully, your obedient servant, 

RUSH C. HAWKINS, 
Colonel Ninth New York Volunteers. 



GENERAL BURNSID&S REASONS. 1 65 

Within a few days after the return of the 
regiment from this expedition the prepara- 
tions for the move on Newberne were com- 
pleted and the expedition was ready to 
proceed. On the morning before it sailed 
from Roanoke Island, General Burnside sent 
for Colonel Hawkins, and upon his report- 
ing at headquarters, said to him : " We leave 
tomorrow for an attack on Newberne, and this 
being an important point I desire to leave it 
in safe hands, and shall place you in command 
with a sufficient force to defend it in case of an 
attack. I give you this important command 
as a mark of my appreciation of the fine con- 
duct of your regiment." A new brigade of three 
regiments designated in Orders as the " Fourth" 
was formed and Colonel Hawkins placed at its 
head and in command at Roanoke Island. His 
district comprised all the waters and territory 
northwest, north and northeast of the southern 
end of Croaton Sound. 

On the 5th of March the brigade disembarked 
from the transports and the regiments compos- 
ing it were distributed in various camps on the 
island, the Ninth being assigned to one formerly 
occupied by the rebels, and where there were 
commodious and well arranged barracks which 
they had erected for their own winter quarters. 
These barracks were arranged in a column of 



166 NIN'IH REGIMENT, NEW YORK' VOLUNTEERS. 

companies and separated from each other by 
wide company streets, the two companies occu- 
pying the quarters facing the same street using it 
in common. The buildings were double, each 
facing on two company streets, with a partition 
running lengthwise through each dividing it 
into rooms for two companies, which were 
again divided into squad-rooms. These were 
provided with bunks and fireplaces. They were 
the best arranged and most comfortable quar- 
ters the regiment has thus far occupied. The 
transfer from a camp of mud and rain to these 
weather-proof and convenient quarters caused 
each man to feel a sense of exhilaration such as 
come to those who acquire wealth suddenly. 
The boys certainly felt that they were living in 
luxury. In addition to the barracks there were 
other buildings in the camp sufficient to accom- 
modate the various regimental departments, 
including officers' quarters and a hospital. The 
camp was christened Camp Reno. Company 
D was assigned to garrison duty at the largest 
of the captured forts which had formed the Con- 
federate stronghold. It was named Fort Reno. 
It had a dock and other landing facilities and 
soon became the principal " port of entry " of 
the island. It was also the principal market for 
such produce as the natives had to sell. The 
demand for poultry, eggs, pies, cookies and 



RESIGN A TION OF L IE UT. - COL ON EL BE TTS. 1 6 7 

such articles was quite brisk and the natives 
were glad to supply them. It also became the 
place of refuge for runaway slaves, and many a 
pitiful tale of cruelty and terror was here 
related. This company having been kept 
numerically full by the recruits received, and 
having remained remarkably free from sickness, 
it frequently marched to dress parade an 
hundred strong. It called itself the " Left wing 
of the regiment." The non-coms, of the com- 
pany claimed the credit for this condition and 
at times were inclined to be vain glorious in 
consequence. This, of course, could not be 
tolerated by the other non-coms, of the regi- 
ment, and they, therefore, determined to " cut 
the combs " of the Company D fellows, which 
they proceeded to do, with more or less 
success and satisfaction. 

Soon after the capture of Roanoke Island 
Lieutenant-Colonel Betts tendered his resigna- 
tion and returned to New York, February 14, 
1862. He was a thorough soldier and his loss 
was deeply regretted by the regiment. He was 
an excellent drill-officer, perfect master of regi- 
mental and brigade tactics, and it was in a large 
measure due to his persistent efforts that the 
Zouaves attained their noted proficiency in 
drill. 

The Newberne expedition sailed on March 



1 68 NINTH REGIMENT, NE W YORK VOL UNTEERS. 

7th, when Colonel Hawkins assumed command 
of the Fourth Brigade and Post, the command 
of the regiment devolving on Captain Jardine, 
who a few days later was promoted to be Major 
and was presented with a fine set of equipments 
by his late Company G. 

Major Kimball was on leave of absence but 
returned on the 24th wearing a lieutenant- 
colonel's uniform, he having received his com- 
mission to that grade while at home. He was 
welcomed back with three-times-three rousing 
cheers, for the boys recognized him as an old 
comrade, tried and true. 

The regiment now settled down to the old 
routine of drill and parade, guard mount, and 
fatigue duty, which comprises the military life 
while in garrison. 

To the great delight of the old sergeant of 
regulars at Newport News who trained him, 
Corporal Searing, of Company D, had acquired 
great skill in artillery drill, and he now bent 
his energies to transmit that skill to the 
others of his company now stationed at Fort 
Reno. As a result they soon became quite ex- 
pert under his instructions. 

The monotony of camp and garrison life on 
the island was frequently broken by incursions 
into the enemy's country, which were either 
organized by Colonel Hawkins or ordered by 
superior authority. 



EXPEDITION UP THE PASQUOTAUK 169 

On April 7th Companies H and I, under 
command of Major Jardine, with six companies 
of the 6th New Hampshire Volunteers, the 
whole under command of Lieutenant-Colonel 
Griffin of the 6th New Hampshire, boarded the 
gunboats and steamed across Albermarle Sound 
up the Pasquotank river to Elizabeth City, where, 
landing, they surprised two companies of North 
Carolina militia, who stampeded without offer- 
ing any resistance, casting away their weapons 
and flying in great disorder to the woods. They 
were rapidly pursued and seventy-three men 
belonging to the First Brigade, North Carolina 
Militia, were captured, brought to Camp Reno 
and guarded by the Ninth. 

One of the Zouaves thus refers to them in 
his diary : 

"They were, indeed, a motley set; some had straw hats, others 
of felt and of nearly every color. Many had gray coats, some black, 
others brown, and one none at all. The other articles of dress con- 
formed to the same variety. A little tow-head corporal (the highest 
rank among them), about fourteen years old, was the only one who 
could write his name. 

" I was Sergeant of the Guard over them, and allowed them to come 
out to the line that they might see a dress parade worth looking at. 
They were very much pleased, and said they ' really believed it was of 
no use fighting against men like those.' " 

They all took the oath of allegiance, and 
were permitted to return to their homes. 

It was evident that the enemy were expecting 
some sort of demonstration toward the rear of 
Norfolk, by the Union troops as they had 



170 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

erected batteries along the line of the canal 
leading to that place, and had stationed a 
force at South Mills, some twelve miles distant 
from Camden. 

It was soon shown that the enemy was right 
in preparing for an attack in that direction, for 
about the 16th of April Colonel Hawkins was 
ordered to proceed with his brigade to Eliza- 
beth City and from there advance against the 
rebels at South Mills, thereby making a dem- 
onstration against Norfolk. 

Orders were issued for each regiment to be 
in readiness to move with fifty rounds of cart- 
ridges, three days' rations, axes and shovels, 
and on April 18th the brigade, consisting of the 
9th and 89th New York, and 6th New Hamp- 
shire regiments, started on transports for Eliza- 
beth City. 

The following is an extract from General 
Order No. 12 : 

"The duty which this force is called upon to 
endure being dangerous and difficult, and it 
having a very long and arduous march to per- 
form, none but men capable of undergoing the 
greatest fatigue will be allowed to accompany 
it. Commanding officers are especially en- 
joined to see that this part of the order is 
strictly enforced." 

At the time these orders were received and 



EXPEDITION TO CAMDEN. 171 

the expedition started, Colonel Hawkins had 
no knowledge that any troops in addition to 
his own were to take part in it, and he was 
therefore surprised to meet General Reno with 
two regiments — 21st Massachusetts and 51st 
Pennsylvania — near the mouth of the river. 
Reno at once assumed command, and ordered 
Colonel Hawkins to land his brigade at a place 
called Shantilly, and immediately proceed with 
all dispatch to a bridge which crossed the Pas- 
quotank river, some two miles from South 
Mills, and to surprise the enemy who was 
presumed to be stationed there. Reno was to 
follow as soon as the troops on the other 
steamers, which were delayed by grounding, 
could be landed. 

Considerable delay was caused by the troops 
being compelled to use small boats in making 
a landing. From these the men were obliged 
to jump when near the shore, and wade through 
mud and water to reach the bank. It was after 
3 o'clock a.m. before the column finally moved. 

Here commenced a march which for length 
and duration was of the most extraordinary 
nature, and to this day no one seems able to 
explain why such a roundabout route was 
chosen. Two plain, direct and level roads led 
from Elizabeth City to South Mills, the one 
running east of the Pasquotank river being 



1 72 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

twelve miles, and the one west of the river 
fifteen miles in length, over a level and inhab- 
ited country. It remains one of the inex- 
plicable mysteries why one or the other of 
these was not taken and followed until South 
Mills was reached. The advance guard soon 
after starting encountered the rebel pickets and 
fired on them, but they being mounted rapidly 
disappeared to give notice of the approaching 
column. At daybreak, which ushered in an in- 
tensely hot day, a short stop was made for rest 
and to allow the men to eat their rations. Re- 
suming the march the column moved forward 
with rapidity, the desire being to reach the ob- 
jective point and defeat the enemy before he 
should be reinforced from Norfolk. 

As they advanced, the sun rose over the trees 
like a great red ball of flame, or like an angry 
spirit mercilessly threatening a scorching day. 
The marching troops pulverized the dry ground 
into fine dust so that it covered every man as a 
garment. As the sun's rays came down more 
direct the atmosphere became intensely hot 
and perspiration oozed from every pore. The 
clouds of dust entered eyes, mouths and nos- 
trils, filling the air passages, obscuring the vis- 
ion, and parching the throats of the men until 
they found it difficult to breathe and all went 
struggling and gasping along, weighted down 



A TRYING MARCH— APRIL NINETEENTH. 173 

with their muskets, ammunition and haver- 
sacks, wondering at what men could endure 
and live. A halt was made about nine 
o'clock, but too brief to permit the making 
of fires for cooking purposes and the men 
were obliged to eat hurriedly of hard-tack 
and salt-horse, the latter adding to the crav- 
ing for water. Again resuming the line of 
march under constantly increasing difficulties 
of travel, it gradually dawned upon the men 
that the main road had been abandoned, as the 
way now led along byways through fields and 
plantations. Meanwhile the oppressive heat 
grew more oppressive, and the tired soldiers 
grew weaker. Water was very scarce and a 
consuming thirst added to the pangs already 
endured. Many sank to the ground overcome 
by heat or exhaustion, and were left to recover 
as best they could. The stern command of 
" Close up ! close up, men ! " ever ringing in the 
ears of the jaded soldiers compelled them to 
still advance. 

Word was passed along the line that this 
day was the 19th of April, the anniversary of 
the organization of the regiment and also of the 
battle of Lexington, and this for a time served 
to spur the drooping spirits of the wearied 
troops, by recalling to their memory the patriotic 
spirit of '76, and for a while they forgot their 



174 XIXTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

sufferings in the hope that this clay might again 
prove a memorable one in the annals of the 
nation. About noon when every one was nearly 
exhausted by the rapid march and the intense 
heat, a column of troops was seen approaching 
along a road running at right angles to the one 
over which the brigade was marching. It 
proved to be the 21st Massachusetts and 51st 
Pennsylvania accompanied by General Reno. 
These troops did not start from the place of 
landing until after 7 a.m., but, having followed 
the direct road they had marched less than half 
the distance covered by the Fourth brigade. 
They were greatly surprised that Hawkins' 
men had not yet found the enemy. 

These men were in fairly good condition, 
while those in Hawkins' column were nearly all 
ready to drop from fatigue, and from the usual 
accompaniment of blistered and bloody feet, 
aggravating chafes and other causes incident to 
a long forced march by troops so long in camp 
and on transports, that they were, compara- 
tively, "soft." A march like this once experi- 
enced, can never be forgotten by the soldier. 
After a short rest it was resumed with Reno's 
brigade and two guns of Company K's battery 
in advance. 

At about one o'clock the enemy was found 
posted in a strong position on both sides of the 



OPENING OF THE BATTLE. 175 

road. They opened fire as soon as the head of 
the Union column came within range. 

The batteries, consisting of K's guns and 
those of the New York Marine Artillery, un- 
limbered in the road, and a spirited duel ensued, 
gun answering gun. 

The 21st Massachusetts and 51st Pennsyl- 
vania were sent to the right by General Reno 
to turn the enemy's left, and when Hawkins' 
brigade arrived it was ordered forward, with 
instructions for two regiments to follow, to 
support the 21st and 51st, while the third, the 
6th New Hampshire, supported the batteries. 
The artillery on both sides meanwhile kept up 
a steady and rapid fire. The Ninth moved for- 
ward and after proceeding a short distance 
turned from the main road and moved to the 
rieht through the ed^e of the woods where it 
halted, and awaited orders, keeping under 
cover of the woods out of sight of the enemy's 
artillery-men. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball who commanded 
the regiment rode out into the open ground in 
front, in plain view of the enemy, and after a 
short inspection of the ground and of the situa- 
tion returned and reported : 

"Nothing but solid shot, boys, we don't care 
for that." But the boys evidently did not 
agree with the Colonel just then as there 



176 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

was some lively dodging when a shot or shell 
came unpleasantly close to their heads and they 
felt that there were far more pleasant places to 
be found* than the present one. 

At this point Colonel Hawkins personally 
assumed command of the Zouaves and led 
them forward in an assault on the enemy's 
position. We quote from an article of his on 
this battle, afterward published in the Century 
Magazine: 

" The action had continued for about an hour (chiefly artillery), when 
I concluded to make an observation in an open cornfield, directly in 
front of the rebel center. I proceeded to a fence within a hundred 
yards of the edge of the clearing, heard no firing of infantry, concluded 
the rebels had been silently outflanked on their left by the 21st Massa- 
chusetts and 51st Pennsylvania, and thought my regiment might get 
across the cornfield and capture the battery which still continued the 
action. I returned and described what I proposed to do, and asked 
the men if they thought they were equal to the undertaking. Although 
nearly exhausted by their long march they signified their willingness 
to try. Arriving at the fence the regiment was formed in line of 
battle and commenced to move over the field. When within fifty 
yards of the edge of the clearing the right companies received the 
concentrated fire of the whole of the enemy's infantry and artillery, and 
in less than two minutes lost nine killed and fifty-eight wounded." 

This movement of the "Ninth" was made 
independent of the other troops and was en- 
tirely unsupported. The situation just before 
it was made was as follows: 

All the troops in the command except Battery 
K and Colonel Howard's Marine Artillery 
were sheltered from the view of the enemy by 
the woods. The position of the rebels was on 
the farther side of a level clearing. The land 



" INTO THE MO UTH OF HELL. " 177 

being perfectly flat and presenting the appear- 
ance of having been reclaimed from the swamp. 
It was in the " Dismal Swamp " country. 
The several fields were separated by deep 
ditches, apparently for drainage purposes, 
with rail fences on top of the dykes. The 
enemy's infantry occupied one of the ditches 
at the edge of the woods on the farther side 
of the field, which made an excellent rifle-pit, 
affording good protection to their men. The 
farm buildings had been burned, leaving the 
perfectly level plantation without the slightest 
protection to, or any spot which could be used as 
a coign of vantage by, advancing troops, while 
the ditches were partly filled with burning rails, 
the smoke from which deceived as to distance. 
The charging Zouaves naturally expected to 
find the riflemen where the clouds of smoke 
were rising. The regiment advanced deliber- 
ately into this field, marching by the flank, 
moved "forward into line," and received the 
order to charge with the bayonet. The enemy 
did not open their musketry fire until the 
Zouaves had advanced some distance. When 
they did open fire a literal rain of grape, shrap- 
nel and bullets swept the exhausted men 
before it. They fell like grain before the 
sickle. The entire loss of the regiment occur- 
red here in an incredibly short time. Colonel 



178 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Hawkins and Major Jardine were wounded, 
while Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball had his 
horse shot from under him, and in his fall was 
temporarily disabled — he was the only mounted 
officer present. 

At least two of the senior captains were 
hors de combat, the adjutant killed, and no 
one for the moment knew who was in com- 
mand. Even under these desperate conditions 
the regiment did not give way. The men 
recoiled for an instant, but responding at once 
to the commands of the surviving officers, again 
attempted to advance. The deadly fire of the 
enemy was steadily maintained without cessa- 
tion, the artillerists continued to fire low, 
grapeshot skimming along the surface of the 
ground like swallows, and plainly visible to the 
eye. There was no opportunity to inflict any 
damage on the enemy as they were completely 
masked by the smoke from the ditches and 
from their own guns. They exhibited good 
strategy in utilizing the ditches, for in those 
where the rails had been consumed the ground 
was still too hot to be used by the men of 
the Ninth for shelter, and their exposed posi- 
tion in the open ground was preferable to 
roasting, even in "the last ditch." 

Human nature could not long withstand this 
fire of iron and lead. To advance was impos- 



IN THE MIDST OF BA TTLE. 1 79 

sible, while to turn their backs to the foe was 
not in the province of the Zouaves. Some one 
gave the order "right oblique," and the regi- 
ment moved to the shelter of the woods on the 
right. 

A regiment which could not be fully identi- 
fied but believed to be the 89th New York, 
double-quicked out of the wood to the right and 
rear of the " Ninth," and gaining a position 
where they could fire past the left-flank of the 
regiment, halted, came to a front and began 
firing by wing as steadily and apparently as 
methodically as though on drill, the volleys 
following each other with as much regularity as 
if at practice on the parade-ground. This 
created a diversion in favor of the " Ninth," 
which gained the shelter of the woods without 
much further loss, where it was instantly re- 
formed by Kimball (who had recovered from 
his accident) when they again advanced and 
occupied the enemy's line with no more casual- 
ties. 

Reno had promptly thrown forward his other 
regiments in order to support and make a 
diversion in favor of the " Ninth," all instantly 
advancing and opening fire. This was too 
much for the "Johnnies" who had "shot their 
bolt," and they retreated in disorder leaving 
everything in the nature of camp equipage 



180 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

behind them, though managing to save their 
artillery. The Union troops were too exhausted 
to pursue the enemy and the Zouaves occu- 
pied their abandoned brush shelters. 

Adjutant Charles A. Gadsden, who met his 
death in this battle had recently been commis- 
sioned in the regiment, and reported for duty 
about two weeks previous to this engagement, 
and in that short period had gained the good 
opinion of officers and men. He died gallantly 
at the head of the regiment in the honorable 
performance of his duties as a soldier. 

He had been a member of the 7th New York 
State Militia, had thoroughly studied his duties 
as adjutant, and was doubtless gratified to be 
assigned to a regiment where his knowledge 
would prove of benefit and be duly appreciated. 
Lieutenant Gadsden reported to Lieutenant- 
Colonel Kimball for duty, and was present at 
dress-parade on the first evening of his arrival 
in camp. After seeing the parade he concluded 
that for the present, at least, it would be better to 
learn than to teach, so he asked for and received 
permission to postpone the assumption of his 
duties for one week. He was killed exactly one 
week after assuming his position as adjutant of 
the regiment. 

After consultation among the superior officers 
on the night of the battle it was decided that a 



OUT OF A BAD PREDICAMENT. 1 8 1 

retreat was the proper move. This decision was 
reached by reviewing the facts that some of the 
regiments had exhausted their ammunition ; 
that the navy could not effect a junction with 
General Reno at the bridge; that the troops 
were far from their base of supplies while the 
enemy was in his own country and could be 
quickly reinforced ; that the men were too 
much exhausted to risk a battle against a 
superior force such as the enemy might be able 
to assemble; that the wounded could better be 
moved at once than at a later time, and espe- 
cially as General Reno had been ordered not 
to risk a disaster. Therefore, it was deemed 
prudent to retire, and between nine and ten 
o'clock at night, the men having been quietly 
awakened by the first sergeants, the troops 
began their journey back to the transports. 
Some of the wounded, who were unable to ride 
in army wagons, were left behind in charge of 
Surgeon Warren, of the 21st Massachusetts. 
Chaplain Conway, of the Ninth, also remained 
behind to assist the surgeon in his duties. His 
careful attention and almost womanly kindness 
and sympathy were greatly appreciated by the 
wounded soldiers. 

Soon after the battle and when the enemy 
had retreated rain began falling. It gradu- 
ally increased as the evening advanced until at 



182 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

ten o'clock it was pouring in torrents. It 
continued all night and as the men plodded on, 
the roads, which in the morning they had found 
thickly covered with choking dust, were now 
deep in slippery mud. The soldiers slipped, 
stumbled and plunged along in the darkness, 
silent as to speech and melancholy as to spirits. 
When a halt was ordered for a few moments' 
rest no consideration was given to water or 
mud, but each man was glad to sink down where 
he stood in the road, utterly indifferent to the 
kind of resting place he found there. Soon 
after daylight dull eyes were brightened by the 
sight of Shantilly, near which the transports 
were left, and the tired troops hustled aboard, 
the Fourth Brigade having engaged the enemy 
and marched over forty miles in heat, dust, 
mud, darkness, and rain, all in about twenty- 
six hours. 

No time was lost in getting into bunks and 
no case of insomnia is recorded, yet many a 
rain-soaked soldier, ere his eyes closed in 
slumber, thought of the fortunate sailor who 
always has his house, bunk, blankets, and grub 
with him, where moth and rust do not corrupt, 
and where mud and rain do not break in and 
permeate. 

The transports did not reach Roanoke Island 
until five o'clock that afternoon. There was, 



RE TROSPECTION. 1 8 3 

therefore, some time forrest and for the drying 
of clothing. The uniforms of the men were in a 
lamentable condition from the clay gathered 
on the long march, and could not be cleaned 
until it dried. 

With rest came opportunity for retrospection 
— not always pleasant after battle, when one's 
intimates are among those lying stark on the 
battlefield or among those nursing their wounds 
in hospital or under the knife of the surgeon. 
In this instance many of the wounded had been 
left on the field, where, if they survived, they 
were sure to fall into the hands of the enemy, 
whose reputation for kind treatment was not 
good. 

In Company F was a number of Germans 
who either tented together or in adjoining tents 
or quarters. They formed quite a little colony, 
and it pleased the other boys to allude to the 
locality where the Germans were as " Dutch 
Alley." One of the members of Company F 
was observed sitting on a gun-carriage, his 
elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands, 
ruminating, probably, on the incidents of the 
fight. After moodily sitting in this position for 
some moments he suddenly straightened up, 
having apparently finished his cogitations, 
heaved the usual sigh and remarked, almost 
cheerfully : " Well, Dutch Alley got cleaned 



184 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

out, didn't it?" And Dutch Alley had been 
cleaned out, for nearly every one of the 
Germans had been either killed or wounded 
in this battle. 

It was curious to note the peculiarity of many 
of the wounds received by the men in this 
battle, as also the eccentric courses of some 
of the missiles. One of the Zouaves retained 
and brought back with him his musket which 
had been struck twice durinq; the en£aoement. 
One of the missiles struck and bent the bayonet 
at a right angle to the barrel, and immediately 
after the stock was struck and bent at the same 
angle but in the opposite direction. Its 
appearance was then best represented by the 
letter Z. 

Private Hartenfelts, of Company F, had both 
his thumbs shot away at the second joint. A 
bullet entered the mouth of Private Kelly, 
Company F, which probably struck his teeth 
and was deflected thereby, and passed upward 
through the nasal bones lodging between his 
eyes. The bullet was extracted, the wound 
healed, and he returned to duty, serving with 
his company until the muster out of the regi- 
ment. Eventually, however, although several 
years after the close of the war, the wound 
caused his death. 

A bullet struck one of the men full on his 



RETURN TRIP TO ROANOKE ISLAND. 185 

waist-belt plate, but although it was a heavy 
blow and quite a shock no ill effects followed. 

A briar-wood pipe carried in the trousers' 
pocket of Private Sloper, Company C, was 
struck by a ball which was probably pretty 
well spent of its force. Upon investigation, 
Sloper found that he was not injured, but he 
found the bullet lodged in the bowl of the pipe. 

Many other instances are authentically, and 
it is believed truthfully, told of peculiar wounds 
and almost miraculous escapes. 

On the return trip to Roanoke Island Sur- 
geon Humphrey was very busy performing 
operations, dressing wounds, relieving the pain 
of contusions, nursing the sick, giving here a 
soothing potion, there a reassuring word of 
encouragement. He seemed to be everywhere 
at every moment, which if it was not so of his 
physical presence, it was actually so of his in- 
fluence. His ministrations were, indeed, cease- 
less, nor would he rest until all were made 
comfortable in their old quarters on terra firma. 

The official record states that the total Union 
loss of the battle of South Mills was one 
hundred and twenty-seven, including thirteen 
killed. Of these the Zouaves lost one officer 
and seven enlisted men killed, seven officers 
and fifty-four enlisted men wounded, and six 
enlisted men missing ; making a total of sev- 



186 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

enty-five. This was nearly sixty per cent, of 
the entire loss, and it was sustained in the 
short period of about two minutes. 

For a time after their return to Roanoke the 
men were subdued and quiet. There was less 
mischief and more philosophy. But young and 
bouyant spirits could not mourn long, so a few 
days saw the past buried and the Ninth was 
itself again with the old exuberant spirit. 

The following official reports from several 
sources may prove of interest to the many 
friends of the Zouaves. 

Extracts from General Reno's report, April 
22, 1862 : 

" I proceeded from Newberne with the 21st Massachusetts and 51st 
Pennsylvania to Roanoke, and was there joined by the 9th and Sgth 
New York and 6th New Hampshire. 

"We proceeded directly to Elizabeth City and began disembarking 
on the 19th inst., at midnight, at a point about three miles below on the 
east side of the river. By 3 a. m., Colonel Hawkins' brigade was 
landed and ready to move. I ordered Hawkins to proceed at once to 
South Mills for the purpose of making a demonstration on Norfolk. I 
remained to bring up the 21st Massachusetts and 51st Pennsylvania, 
they having been delayed by their vessels getting aground at the mouth 
of the river. They came up at daylight and were landed by 7 a. m. 
I proceeded directly toward South Mills, and about twelve miles out 
met Hawkins' brigade, who, it seems, lost his way either by the 
treachery or incompetency of his guide, he having marched some ten 
miles out of his way. 

"As his men were very much jaded by their long march, I ordered 
them to follow the second brigade. Proceeding about four miles 
farther, to within one and one-half miles of South Mills, the rebels 
opened upon us with artillery before my advance guard discovered 
them. I immediately reconnoitered their position and found that they 
were posted in an advantageous position, in a line perpendicular to 
the road, their infantry in ditches, and their artillery commanding all 
the direct approaches, their rear protected by a dense forest. 



RENO'S REPORT OF THE BATTLE. 187 

" I ordered the 51st Pennsylvania to file to the right and pass over to 
the edge of the woods, to turn their left, the 21st Massachusetts to 
pursue the same course, and, when Hawkins came up with his brigade, 
I sent him with the 9th and 89th New York to their support. The 6th 
New Hampshire were formed in line to the left of the road to support 
our four pieces of artillery. 

" Owing to the excessive fatigue of the men they could not reach 
their position for some time. Meantime the enemy kept up a brisk 
artillery fire which was gallantly responded to by Colonel Howard, of 
the Coast Guard, who during the entire engagement displayed most 
conspicuous gallantry, and rendered very efficient service both during 
the action and upon the return, he bringing up the rear. 

" Soon as the 51st Pennsylvania and the 21st Massachusetts had suc- 
ceeded in turning their left, they opened a brisk musketry fire, and 
about the same time the 9th New York, also coming into range and 
being too eager to engage, unfortunately charged upon the enemy's 
artillery. It was a most gallant charge, but they were exposed to a 
most deadly fire of canister, grape and musketry, and were forced to 
retire, but rallied immediately on the 89th New York. I then ordered 
both regiments to form a junction with the 21st Massachusetts. Mean- 
time the 51st Pennsylvania and 21st Massachusetts kept up an inces- 
sant fire upon the rebels, who now had withdrawn their artillery and 
had commenced to retire in good order. The 6th New Hampshire had 
steadily advanced in line to the left of the road, and when within 
about two hundred yards poured in a most deadly volley which com- 
pletely demoralized the enemy and finished the battle. Our men were 
so completely fagged out by the intense heat and their long march that 
we could not pursue them. The men rested under arms in line of 
battle until about 10 o'clock p.m., when I ordered a return to our boats, 
having accomplished the principal object of the expedition — conveying 
the idea that the entire Burnside expedition was marching upon Nor- 
folk. * * * * The return march was made in perfect order, and few, if 
any stragglers were left behind. 

" Considering that during the advance the weather was intensely hot, 
and that a portion of the command had to march forty-five miles, the 
other thirty-five miles, and fight a battle in the meantime, and that all 
was accomplished in less than twenty-four hours, I think that the 
commanding general has every reason to be satisfied with his command. 
* * * * Tli e enemy had from six to ten pieces of artillery, and from 
1,800 to 2,000 men." 

Colonel Hawkins' report was made to Burn- 
side direct, dated April 21, 1862, and was as 
follows : 



188 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Roanoke Island, N. C. 

"Sir: — In accordance with orders from department headquarters, I, 
on the 18th, at about n a.m., embarked on board of the transports 
about 2,000 men of my brigade from the following regiments: 9th New 
York, 727; 89th New York, 625 ; and 6th New Hampshire, 600. In this 
force was included two boat guns belonging to Company K, 9th New 
York. About 11 o'clock the same evening my brigade began landing at 
a place opposite Kobb's Point, about four miles below Elizabeth City, 
on the Pasquotank River. 

" By 2.30 on the morning of the 19th, the landing of my brigade had 
been completed, including two field pieces from the steamer ' Virginia;' 
this through the water where it was more than knee deep, which the 
men were compelled to wade. 

"At 3 a.m. the whole brigade was on the march, and continued for 
the next twelve hours on its weary way through a long circuitous route 
of thirty-two miles, beneath the terrible heat of the sun, amid the con- 
stantly rising dust. 

" At about 3 p.m. I succeeded in arriving in sight of the enemy's posi- 
tion with about one-half of the men who had commenced the march, 
when we were immediately ordered into action, the 6th New Hamp- 
shire going to the left of the enemy's position, the 9th and 89th New 
York going to the right through the woods to outflank the enemy on 
each side. Up to this time the part of a battery from the 9th New 
York worked by Lieutenant Herbert, assisted by five men (the rest 
having been worn out by fatigue), received and sustained the whole 
fire of the enemy's battery. 

" After marching about two miles through a swamp, covered with 
thick undergrowth, I arrived within about three-eights of a mile of the 
enemy's position, where they were concealed in the woods. After a 
short tour of observation, I came to the conclusion that it would be 
impossible to outflank them on the right, the undergrowth and swamp 
being almost impenetrable. 

"A charge through an open field directly in front of the enemy's 
position was thought to be the only way in which they could be 
dislodged. 

"I then returned to where I had left the 9th New York and found 
them lying on the ground completely exhausted. I stated to the regi- 
ment what I proposed to do, and asked the men if they felt equal to 
the task. Their answer was: ' We will try, Colonel, and follow wher- 
ever you may lead us.' 

"Immediately the command 'Forward' was given, the 9th New 
York taking the lead, followed by the 89th New York. We had pro- 
ceeded to within about 200 yards of the enemy's concealed position 
when the 9th New York received the full and direct fire from the 



COLONEL HAWKINS' REPORT. 189 

enemy's infantry and batteries. This completely staggered the men, 
who before were completely exhausted, and the order was given for 
the regiment to turn to the right where it would be partly sheltered 
from the fire. 

"This order was executed but slowly. Soon after the 89th began to 
move forward supported by the 9th New York, when the enemy 
retreated. 

"When this commenced the 6th New Hampshire poured a volley 
into the right wing of the 3rd Georgia Volunteers, which completely 
cut them to pieces. The troops then bivouacked upon the field until 
10 p.m., when they were ordered to fall in and return to their transports. 
It is seldom, if ever, that men have been called upon to perform so 
much in so short a time as those who composed the fourth brigade 
under my command. Marching fifty miles and fighting a battle all in 
twenty-four hours, you will admit is no small undertaking, and this 
was done without murmur or complaint. In the charge of the 9th New 
York that regiment lost, nine killed and fifty-six wounded. Among 
the former was Lieut. Charles A. Gadsden, adjutant, who fell at the 
head of his regiment. He was a kind, considerate man, and most 
excellent soldier, and dies greatly lamented by all of his companions. 
Colonel Howard, of the steamer ' Virginia,' who was in command of 
the artillery, has not yet made his report, consequently I am unable to 
give any particulars concerning his part in the engagement, but believe 
that he behaved with great coolness and bravery as well as all the 
officers and men under him. Soon after the troops had returned to 
Roanoke Island, the Rev. T. W. Conway, chaplain of the 9th New 
York, returned, bringing with him about fifty stragglers and some of 
the wounded left behind on the field of battle. He remained to bury 
the dead and to assist the wounded. On the morning of the 20th he 
started out to find the rebel pickets, and after going some distance he 
was informed that the rebel pickets had left the night before — reinforce- 
ments which they had received only a few moments before included — 
for Suffolk, thinking that our forces were by a flank movement getting 
in their rear to cut them off ; returned to the hospital by way of the 
battle-field, where he counted thirty of the enemy's dead. 

"After the dead were buried and the wounded, who could not be 
brought away, cared for, all the stragglers who could be found armed 
themselves and started for the place of debarkation and arrived here 
in safety the next morning. 

"Although the results of this expedition may seem disastrous on ac- 
count of the loss of life, still the reconnaissance cannot fail to be of 
great value to you when connected with future operations. In justice 
to other regiments I cannot say what I should like to about the officers 
and men in my own, consequently would only say that all alike did 
their duty faithfully and well. 



190 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

" I regret to add that owing to our limited transportation we were 
compelled to leave behind fourteen of our wounded in care of Dr. 
Warren of the 21st Massachusetts, two or three of whom were brought 
away by the chaplain of the Ninth. 

" I have to-day sent a flag of truce by Major Jardine, who was ac- 
companied by the surgeon, chaplain, and ten privates of the 9th New 
York, for the purpose of bringing back the wounded and the bodies of 
Lieutenant Gadsden and our dead who were buried on the field. 

" Herewith you will find'a complete list of the killed, wounded and 
missing of the fourth brigade in the action of the 19th. 

" Respectfully, your obedient servant, 
"RUSH C. HAWKINS, 
" Colonel, Commanding Fourth Brigade and Post. 
" Major-General Ambrose E. Burnside, 

" Commanding Dept. of North Carolina, Newberne, N. C." 

As the above correspondence is from the 
Official Records, we append the following- 
letter which is of interest and taken from the 
same source : 

"Headquarters, Roanoke Island, N. C, April 23, 1862. 

"Sir: — Doubtless the unfortunate occurrence of the 19th has been 
brought fully to your notice. No one can regret the result more than 
myself. 

"First, because of the loss of life ; second, the object of the expe- 
dition not being accomplished after all the obstacles in the way had 
been removed. 

" It seems that both sides were badly frightened. The enemy ran 
like quarter-horses toward Norfolk, and we as fast as our weary legs 
would carry us toward Roanoke, leaving quite a number of our 
wounded and destroying the bridges behind us. In this connection I 
will only add our retirement was discretion, our valor having been 
wholly spent on the field of battle. There is one satisfaction that we 
whipped them like the devil in their own well chosen position. 

" They acknowledged to have had three companies of the Georgia 
Third completely cut to pieces, and from this acknowledgment it is 
but fair to infer their loss was much greater. Their force, as near as 
I can ascertain, was the Georgia Third, 1,165 strong ; a battery of 
Henningsen's artillery of four pieces, and some North Carolina Militia, 
number not known, and a full squadron of Suffolk and Southampton 
cavalry. This statement of the enemy's forces I believe to be very 
nearly correct. I most cordially join in the recommendations of the 



OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE. 191 

surgeons, that the wounded be removed North as soon as possible, and 
that a steamer, made comfortable by the necessary beds, etc., be sent 
here for that purpose at the earliest moment. They can be of no ser- 
vice here and will recover much more rapidly at the North, besides 
relieving our surgeons, who are already worn out by their arduous 
labors. 

" Owing to the little wound received in my left arm in the affair of 
the 19th I am compelled, by the advice of surgeons, to lay up in ordi- 
nary for repairs, much against my desire or inclination. They say it 
will be eight weeks before I am fit for service. Under such circum- 
stances, being forbidden to perform any labor, I would ask for leave 
of absence until such time as I am able to return to duty, which shall 
be at the earliest possible moment. But, still, if you cannot spare me, 
I will remain and render such service as I am able to perform lying on 
my back. I know and can dictate what ought to be done. 

" I should be very happy to see you here, as I have much to say to 
you that I cannot write. Most faithfully your friend and servant, 

"RUSH C. HAWKINS, 

' Commanding Post." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

NINTH NEW YORK GARRISONS ROANOKE ISLAND— RE- 
CREATION THE ORDER OF THE DAY — PRACTICAL 
USES OF CAPTURED POWDER — COMPANY K'S NEW 
BATTERY TACTICS— INNOCENTLY GETTING SQUARE 
WITH THE COMPANY COOK— TESTIMONIAL TO COL. 
HAWKINS — PARADE AND DRILL OF NINTH UNDER 
COMMAND OF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS— NEW 
RECRUITS TROUBLED WITH " LAPSY PALLS " CURED 
BY SERGEANT HORNER — LIEUTENANT FLUSSER, 
U. S. N., CAPTURES PLYMOUTH AND COMPANY "F" 
DETAILED TO GARRISON TOWN — RUNAWAY SLAVES 
RETURNED TO OWNER — WESSEL'S BRIGADE RE- 
LIEVES COMPANY "F," — ENEMY ATTACK AND DE- 
FEAT WESSEL, RE-CAPTURE PLYMOUTH AND KILL 
FLUSSER — BURNSIDE LEAVES FOR FORT MONROE — 
NINTH LEAVES ROANOKE FOR NORFOLK— CAMP FOR 
CONTRABANDS— LOSSES OF BURNSIDE EXPEDITION. 

AFTER the battle of South Mills and the 
return of the regiment to Roanoke Island 
the Zouaves were allowed a few days for rest 
and recuperation, when they settled down for 
what proved to be a protracted stay on this 
isolated spot. The regular routine of drill was 
not calculated to make them thoroughly con- 



RECREA TION SO UGHT FOR. 1 9 3 

tented with the situation, and idleness fostered 
the spirit of homesickness. The longing for 
home was increased when the wounded re- 
turned from furlough and related the manner 
in which they were received ; how everyone 
considered them genuine heroes and treated 
them as such, and no little heart-burning arose 
when the tales were told, with somewhat of a 
swagger, of the tender solicitude displayed by 
their acquaintances of the opposite sex, who 
never tired of hearing them repeat their experi- 
ences in Dixie. 

It was decided that some radical departure 
must be made to lift the lads out of the 
" slough of despond " and make them forget 
their loneliness. A reading-room and post 
office was established, also a debating club 
where regular meetings were held and numer- 
ous subjects discussed and argued. Several 
baseball clubs were organized, while some of 
the companies erected various kinds of gym- 
nastic apparatus, and much skill was shown in 
the acrobatic feats which followed, while the 
sparring and wrestling matches would have 
delighted the eyes of a professional. 

A further proof of the talent to be found in 
the regiment, and which while not exactly " hid 
under a bushel," was so modest as not to 
attract general attention, was the success which 



194 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

attended the formation of " The Zouave Min- 
strel and Dramatic Club." 

There was some doubts expressed at first re- 
garding the success of the projected undertak- 
ing, but no sooner had the determination to 
have a show in camp taken definite shape than 
it was discovered that there were plenty of men 
in the regiment well qualified to fill every posi- 
tion in a theatrical company from that of 
manager to stage doorkeeper. 

The company was well chosen and well man- 
aged. Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball, who was 
in command of the regiment at the time and 
was heartily in favor of the project, assisted the 
organizers in every way possible. A building 
was assigned to them which, after a few enter- 
tainments had been given, was found to be en- 
tirely too small, and it was arranged to provide 
them with a larger one, which after being fitted 
up properly would accommodate five hundred 
persons. This was soon transformed into a 
very respectable theatre. 

Robert L. Cutler, of Company D, was gen- 
eral manager as well as stage manager, and 
also " went on " in some of the plays. He was 
a man of versatile talents, and although little 
more than a boy in years, had been connected 
professionally with a Broadway theatrical com- 
pany before the war. He wrote a burlesque on 



THE "STARS" ON THE PROGRAMME. 195 

Richard III, in which he appeared in one of the 
leading parts, and which proved to be a great 
success. 

The scene painter was G. W. Roberts, of 
Company A, who belonged to a family of artists. 
He is still, at this writing, a prominent scene 
painter, as was also his father before him. Wil- 
bur F. Curtis, of Company B, was the orchestra 
leader, and was as thoroughly devoted to his 
work and fully as successful in his limited 
sphere as though he were nightly receiving the 
applause of Metropolitan audiences. 

Among the other members of the company 
were Andrew Thompson, of Company A, vocal- 
ist as well as actor, who was heard in many 
songs, among them "Gently Breathe the Tender 
Sigh," "Simon the Cellarer," etc.; William 
Burns, of Company "K"; William Renner, of 
Company F, whose proper name seemed to 
have been forgotten by his comrades, and who 
was known throughout the regiment, and even 
appeared on the play-bill by his sobriquet of 
" Corporal Casey"; Thomas Fisher, of Company 
" B," the great and successful delineator of 
female character parts, and who was known 
among the men of the regiment as "Kate 
Fisher "; Walter Nolan, of Company E, who 
performed Irish characters and sang Irish 
songs; Hospital Steward William Grobecker, 



196 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Company A ; Sergeant Al. Salisbury, of Com- 
pany A, a member of the chorus, but who often 
sang "The Boy with the Auburn Hair;" James 
Fitzgerald, of Company A, delighted the boys 
with the ballad " The Southern Groves ;" Peter 
L. Drew, of Company A, who was not only an 
actor of some merit, but was a jig dancer who 
had few equals ; Walter L. Thompson, of Com- 
pany I, who not only performed in the " legiti- 
mate drama," but was the " end man " in the 
minstrel show ; Robert M. Johnston, Company 
H, character singer and balladist, as well as 
actor, who sang the character songs of " Lord 
Lovell," "Billy Barlow," "Reuben Wright," 
" Bacon and Greens," and the " Cork Leg," to 
the great admiration of appreciative audiences ; 
J. C. Julius Langbein, of Company B, better 
known throughout the regiment as "Jennie the 
drummer," appeared as " Mary " in an original 
production entitled, " A Kiss in the Dark"; 
Frank Mergarthaler, of Company A, who de- 
lighted the boys with his " Essence of Old 
Virginny." 

The " nigger " minstrel performance, which 
was a part of the entertainment, also carried off 
high honors, and will always be remembered 
by the Roanoke survivors ; but the part of the 
performances longest and most pleasantly 
remembered by a majority of the regiment was 



PROCURING " PROPERTIES" UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 197 

the singing by the quartette. This part of the 
program was seldom omitted and was always 
awaited with great interest. 

The quartette as per programme, was com- 
posed of the following voices, 

ROBERT M. JOHNSTON, . . First Tenor. 

JAMES FITZGERALD, . . Second Tenor. 

ALEX. F. HAMILTON, . . Alto 

ANDREW THOMPSON, . . Bass. 

Each one of these comrades was the fortunate 
possessor of a superior and well-trained voice, 
and while none of them were professional 
singers each one had been closely connected 
with amateur musical societies, and were more 
or less accustomed to appearing in public. In 
the estimation of their comrades in the regi- 
ment none of them would lose anything by 
comparison, either as a quartette or as soloists 
with many of the greater lights of the profes- 
sional stage. 

The question of procuring properties which 
would enable them to make a proper presenta- 
tion of the various plays taxed the ingenuity of 
the managers and the members of the company 
to the utmost limit, but as necessity is the 
mother of invention, it — the necessity aforesaid 
— together with the ingenuity possessed, of 
which there appeared to be an inexhaustible 
supply, enabled them to overcome all difficulties. 



198 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The apparent impossibility of procuring curled 
hair for the wigs necessary for the minstrel 
band had at the beginning almost brought them 
to the verge of despair when an idea occurred 
to one of them. It resulted in a sudden and 
extraordinary interest being shown by certain 
men in the regiment in the welfare and also the 
personal appearance of the negroes about camp, 
especially the ones with long wool. Mission- 
aries appeared among them preaching the gos- 
pel of cleanliness and neatness ; but every ex- 
hortation ended with advice against the wearing 
of long hair. They were told of the many evils 
attending such a practice and of the unhealth- 
fulness of it, and as the exhorter removed his 
own head covering and slapped his clean- 
shaven poll, he dilated on the comfort that 
attended a close crop. All this was to try to 
induce the darkies to sacrifice some of their 
wool for the benefit of histrionic art. Little or 
no progress was made until it was shown the 
negroes by unassailable arguments that they 
could never successfully aspire to be soldiers 
while they wore long hair ; that all soldiers 
wore their hair short, therefore, if they wished 
to be soldiers they must do likewise. This 
made a few converts, and some material for 
wigs was forthcoming. It was necessary, how- 
ever, before the supply fully equalled the de- 



A SUCCESSFUL ' ' SEASON. " 199 



mand, to fall back to first principles and revive 
Rob Roy's rule. The negroes who were the 
owners of the kind of head covering coveted, 
were kidnapped, carried to a squad-room, kept 
quiet by dire threats, their wool deftly and 
swiftly removed by a Zouave armed with a pair 
of shears, and the shorn victims sent on their 
way as bald as babies. In this way sufficient 
wool was secured to finish the number of wigs 
required. 

When the theatre was first fitted up a private 
box was not forgotten and one was built and 
gayly decorated for the use of General Burnside 
who, while on a tour of inspection on the island, 
was invited to attend the play. The box was 
afterward reserved for Colonel Hawkins and 
Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball, or any visiting 
officer of rank. 

A regular admission fee was charged and 
the "season" proved so successful that the 
managers, after paying all expenses, placed as 
a first contribution the sum of $364.00 in the 
hands of Chaplain Conway, with instructions to 
distribute the amount equitably among the 
widows of the members of the regiment who 
thus far had given their lives for their country. 
Crowds came from all the camps on the island, 
numbers frequently were turned away, and 
many returned to camp in disappointment. 



200 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The natives were simply astounded at the ease 
and facility with which soldiers acted the 
various parts. 

The entertainments were given ordinarily 
about once a week. To have given them more 
frequently would have interfered too much 
with the regular routine of the camp, and prop- 
ably have been detrimental to discipline. 

On the nights when the theatre was open it 
was necessary for all visitors to be provided 
with passes, for while the building was inside 
the regimental guard line it was always after 
tatoo before the performance ended and visitors 
from outside, both citizens and soldiers, had to 
be safely escorted out of camp by their indi- 
vidual hosts. However, " the largest liberty 
compatible with law " was accorded to all who 
were not on duty on those evenings. 

Among the stores found on the island at the 
time of the capture was a quantity of damaged 
powder. This was not " taken up " by the or- 
dinance officer of the army, as it was considered 
worthless for military purposes, but was per- 
mitted to remain in the magazine at Camp Reno, 
and was cared for so that it did not further 
deteriorate. It was afterwards the means of 
furnishing a great deal of amusement as well 
as instruction to the men of the regiment. 
Considerable quantities of it were issued to 



PRACTICAL USES OF CAPTURED POWDER. 201 

the several companies and sufficient good car- 
tridges were always found for target practice. 
With these Company K was enabled to obtain 
some valuable artillery experience, not only 
with their own guns but also with the heavier 
ones mounted on the forts. This was a great 
saving of the precious government cartridges. 
To discharge a government cartridge except 
in battle was next in point of heniousness to 
murder. In camp and on the march the men 
were obliged to account for each cartridge 
issued to them. If this was not done Uncle 
Sam, who held company commanders person- 
ally responsible, would stop from their monthly 
pay the money value of ammunition unac- 
counted for. Besides being of great service 
much fun was provided the men. There were 
improvised Fourth of July celebrations, mining 
operations on the line of original ideas, and all 
kinds of wild pranks. 

Some of K's men organized a light battery 
after a somewhat ingenious fashion. They pro- 
cured six wheelbarrows from the quartermaster, 
and on each one fastened an old musket selected 
from among the captured arms. Then, with an 
active youth between the handles of each barrow, 
to perform the part of a battery team, they would 
occupy the parade ground between drills, and 
give as fine an exhibition of light-battery drill 



202 NINTH REGIMENT, NE IV YORK VOL UNTEERS. 

and practice as could be desired. All their ev- 
olutions were performed in strict accordance 
with artillery tactics, and they were always sure 
of a good sized audience, who were quite gen- 
erous in their applause. 

There was one occurrence in camp, in which 
the captured cartridges played a prominent part. 
Just before dress-parade one evening, two pri- 
vates of Company G — George Teller and John 
Weaver — were seen working industriously in 
the middle of the company street, endeavoring 
to reduce a large, knotty, live oak stump into 
fragments of convenient size for their fireplace. 
They worked away steadily until the bugle 
sounded " first call " for parade, when they hur- 
ried to quarters, put on their equipments and 
marched with the company to the " color line." 
One suspicious circumstance in the manceuvers 
of the men was the carelessness with which they 
left the stump in the street ; for, while it is said 
" there is honor among thieves," in a camp 
where fuel is scarce it is well understood that a 
soldier has no compunctions of conscience, and, 
considering this a case of abandoned property, 
would promptly confiscate it, regardless of con- 
sequences. No sooner had the company left 
the street for the parade ground than the com- 
pany cook, who had been secretly observing the 
" stump-splitting " process, stealthily appropri- 



GETTING SQUARE WITH THE COOK. 203 

ated the log, and to make sure that the rightful 
owners should not wrest it from him on their 
return and at the same time to destroy the evi- 
dence, placed it at once on his fire. Much to 
the cook's wonder, no inquiry for the log was 
made after the parade was dismissed, and 
neither of the owners appeared to be in a frenzy 
of indignation over its loss, nor did they express 
their ability to whip the man who had stolen 
their property, which was the usual course pur- 
sued on the loss of anything of value. They 
retired to their quarters, without comment 
which led their comrades to believe — almost 
with awe — that they were unable to find a 
vocabulary violent enough to express their 
feelings. Meanwhile the cook chuckled and 
resumed his work. Sometime later the com- 
pany was aroused by a loud explosion, and, 
rushing out to ascertain its cause, found the 
street covered with pots, kettles, messpans 
and other cooking utensils, splintered boards, 
articles of food, etc., while beneath and among 
it all lay the cook, half dead with fright and a 
few injuries. The cook-house had completely 
disappeared. 

When Captain Jardine, in whose company the 
affair occurred, heard the explosion, he was mys- 
tified for only a moment. Then he remembered 
the two soldiers and the stump, and light 



204 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOIUNTEERS. 

dawned upon him. It seemed plain to him that 
the explosion was caused by a loaded stick in 
the cook's fire, and he at once ordered the dyna- 
miters to report at the guardhouse under arrest. 
He made no inquiries and required no further 
evidence to convince him that the whole affair 
was an attempt to " get square " with the cook. 
The men were kept some days in confinement, 
but they both persistently asserted their inno- 
cence, and as the cook proved to be more fright- 
ened than hurt, nothing more was done about it 
and they were liberated. Teller and Weaver 
still maintain their innocence of any intention 
to injure the cook. They relate that a hole was 
bored in the stump, which was then loaded with 
two cartridges. The fuse burned low and was 
extinguished and could not be relighted. Other 
means of splitting were tried and failed. Before 
they could accomplish their object the bugle 
called them away. Upon returning and finding 
the stump missing, they decided to keep quiet 
and await the explosion which would at once 
discover the thief and punish him. 

Probably the most interesting and practical 
use to which the powder was applied was in 
sham battles between Company K's battery and 
the rest of the regiment. Several times these 
occurred, and were not only realistic, but both 
sides were familiarized with conditions which 



COMPANY OS EXPEDITION. 20S 

arise in most engagements. The charging in- 
fantry were made familiar with the flash and 
concussion of artillery Are, while the battery- 
men also became familiar with the appearance 
of charging infantry. 

In the early part of May information was re- 
ceived at headquarters that the rebels had a 
large amount of stores, consisting of bacon, corn, 
salt, flour, etc., collected at a point near Gates- 
ville, and it was determined to destroy the same 
if possible. Company C (Captain Parrison) 
was detailed to perform the task, and on May 
7th they embarked on the gunboat "Shaw- 
sheen," Captain Underwood commanding, and 
proceeded through Albemarle Sound and up 
the Chowan River to the mouth of Catherine's 
Creek, which empties into the river near Holli- 
day's Island. They proceeded cautiously up 
the creek about two miles, being careful to con- 
ceal their lights, and about one o'clock in the 
morning landed in a densely wooded swamp, 
through which they advanced silently, and suc- 
ceeded in effecting a complete surprise the 
enemy scattering after making only slight 
resistance. 

The torch was applied and property of much 
value destroyed. While returning to the gun- 
boat the rear guard, commanded by Lieutenant 
Cooper, was attacked by about twenty-five of 



206 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the enemy's cavalry. Parisen, returning to aid 
Cooper, repulsed the rebels, one of their num- 
ber being shot through the heart. The Zouaves 
arrived at Roanoke without further trouble. 

About this time a proposition was made by 
the sergeants of Company B to present some 
kind of a testimonial to Colonel Hawkins. By 
virtue of seniority in rank he was nearly 
always in command of brigade or post, and 
sometimes of both, but still, his first care was 
always for the welfare of his own regiment. 
He was watchful in protecting it from being- 
overlooked or neglected by commissary or 
quartermaster's department, energetic and 
tireless in having it well clothed, and, in 
camp, well fed. The men were all aware of 
these attentions and desired in some man- 
ner to express their appreciation of them. 
The subject had been somewhat agitated 
throughout the regiment, but did not assume 
definite shape until B's sergeants visited the 
first sergeants of the other companies, and asked 
each one to call a meeting of his company, 
inform the men of the object and have them 
appoint a committee to take action on the 
matter. The plan met with general approval, 
contributions were limited to a moderate 
amount, and the enterprise reached a success- 
ful conclusion. It was understood that the 



THE SWORD PRESENTATION. 207 

participants should be only enlisted men. 
Commissioned officers were not only excluded 
but were to remain in ignorance of the movement 
until the presentation was ready to take place, 
and as there is little difficulty in withholding 
secrets from regimental officers the latter part 
of the agreement was successfully carried out. 
The requisite money was quickly contributed 
and forwarded to Judge Whiting, of New York, 
with a request that he would purchase a hand- 
some dress sword, have a suitable inscription 
engraved upon the scabbard, and express it to 
the camp at his earliest convenience. Assistant- 
Surgeon White, who had been enjoying a brief 
leave of absence in New York, was about to 
return to his regiment, when the Judge had the 
eood fortune to meet him and turned the sword 
over to his custody. 

Dr. White arrived at Roanoke on the 9th of 
May, and delivered the box containing the 
sword to the committee who had the affair in 
charge. 

The officers were informed, Colonel Hawkins 
communicated with and requested to favor the 
regiment with his presence at Camp Reno on 
the afternoon of the succeeding Saturday. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball permitted the regi- 
ment to parade under command of Sergeant- 
Major Dusenbury, with the companies com- 



208 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

manded by their respective first sergeants. 
When the day arrived the regiment was duly 
paraded, then formed in hollow square, and the 
sword was presented by Private Reed, of Com- 
pany B, in an neat and appropriate address, the 
Colonel accepting in a few feeling remarks 
which showed how deeply he was touched by 
this token of his men's gratitude. The cere- 
mony then ended, and the parade dismissed. 

A notable feature of the presentation exer- 
cises and one which caused much comment and 
excited general surprise, not only among the 
regimental officers, but also among the many 
visitors present, was the appearance of the regi- 
ment and the excellent manner in which it was 
handled by the " non-coms." 

The masterful way in which Dusenbury ma- 
noeuvered the command, executing some intri- 
cate battalion movements before "forming 
square," and the prompt and ready manner in 
which the first sergeants handled their com- 
panies, was, to state it mildly, a revelation to 
the officers, who gazed at one another in undis- 
guised astonishment, and the unwritten law of 
the Zouaves, that " no man could be a corporal 
unless he was fit to be a colonel," in this in- 
stance appeared not to have been mis-applied. 
It should be remembered that a member of a 
regiment, either enlisted man or officer, seldom 



A REVELATION TO THE OFFICERS. 209 

has an opportunity to see his own regiment on 
drill or parade. Only when on guard duty, or 
some detailed or detached service, would such 
an opportunity present itself. 

In the present instance there was something 
in addition to a feeling of gratification in the 
breasts of captains and lieutenants in observing 
their own regiment. There was a sense of 
amazement that these non-coms, who had been 
drilled and disciplined, watched over, and, so 
to speak, held in a leash, and who were still 
considered pupils, could drill the regiment in 
such a correct and ready manner, and as one 
captain expressed himself to another, "just as 
well as we can." The men noticed the looks 
of surprise among the officers, and knowing 
the cause were correspondingly elated. 

Regiments in active service in the field, are 
constantly losing men in addition to those 
lost by the casualties of battle. Some persons 
are more susceptible to disease than others. 
More or less sickness always occurs in camp. 
The recovery of some of the sick men is slow 
and tedious, while others become completely 
broken down in health and continue for a long 
time unfit for active duty. With either class it is 
far better for themselves and for the cause in 
which they are enlisted, that they be discharged 
and their places filled by others more able to 



210 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

withstand the hardships of a soldier's life, and 
all conscientious and patriotic surgeons recom- 
mend this mode of procedure. Recruits are 
constantly being sent to the front to refill these 
vacancies ; regiments with the best reputations 
for soldierly or fighting qualities being thus 
continually augmented through their entire 
term of service. When the recruit arrives in 
camp he is received in a friendly spirit, and 
should he bring with him a goodly share of 
bounty money, and is fond of the good old 
old game of " draw," he is treated with tender 
consideration until his money has been trans- 
ferred to the pockets of the older and more 
experienced campaigners, and all are glad that 
he joined the regiment. His verdancy speedily 
disappears with the tuition he experiences and 
he becomes a good soldier. At first he may be 
a little troublesome and inclined to be insubor- 
dinate, for in some instances he imagines he 
left all constituted authorities behind when he 
put on his uniform and started to join the regi- 
ment, but alas, how quickly that impression is 
removed, though in his mind he may for a time 
resent the quiet, unquestioning way in which 
older soldiers obey all commands. If a bully, 
he endeavors, and quite often succeeds, in work- 
ing up the other recruits to revolt against, 
" these fellows with stripes on their arms who 



A DISTURBING ELEMENT. 2 1 1 

go around bossing everybody," and thus 
foments to unnecessary disturbance, but extra 
fatigue or guard, with a tour of duty on a 
wooden horse or with a weighted knapsack or 
the novel position assumed by being bucked and 
gagged never fails to eliminate that feeling. In 
the " Ninth " the non-coms, under supervision 
of the first sergeants attended to all details of 
military life in their respective companies, the 
commissioned officers having advanced beyond 
that condition. Should a first sergeant prove 
incompetent to take care of his men, clothe, 
feed, drill and control them, it was not difficult 
to depose him and fill his place with one who 
possessed all these requisites. One of the duties 
of the first sergeant was to take charge of 
recruits assigned to his company and make 
soldiers of them. 

This was generally accomplished without 
much friction, but in case of a bully appearing 
among them, each sergeant employed methods 
of his own toward him which he deemed 
especially applicable to the situation. On one 
occasion during the early days at Roanoke, a 
squad of recruits assigned to Company D, 
contained a member who seemed determined 
to create trouble. He did not propose to sur- 
render his cognomen of " bad man," without a 
struggle. His natural assurance enabled him 



212 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

to continue an influence already established 
over his comrades, and organize an attempt to 
destroy the discipline of the company. The 
design was to cover the first-sergeant with 
shame and mortification, by openly disregard- 
ing the proprieties which governed military 
custom, and which the sergeant felt in duty 
bound to enforce. 

The first morning after the squad arrived in 
camp, "sick-call" sounded and the first-sergeant 
presented himself at the place where the ailing 
men were accustomed to assemble and be 
marched to the surgeon's quarters, when he 
found in addition to those actually ill, every one 
of the recruits lined up, the embryo mutineer 
at their head, ready for business. At that time 
the first-sergeant of D, was one James B. 
Horner, a good soldier, a strict disciplinarian, 
but not blessed with an angelic temper. A 
characteristic of his, well known throughout the 
regiment, was a decided lack of patience. He 
grasped the situation and the meaning of it all 
at a glance, saw but one way out of the dilem- 
ma, which appeared to him the right way. He 
believed there was but one time to solve a 
problem and that was the present. The 
moment he noticed the crowd of recruits ready 
to answer "sick-call," he prepared for action. 
To say that he was angry, feebly expressed it. 



CURING A NE W DISEASE. 2 1 3 

Giving one glance along the line, he stepped 
up to the ring-leader on the right, and calmly 
asked: "What's the matter with you? Why 
do you wish to see the surgeon?" The man 
replied with a leer; "I've got the lapsy palls," 
with further remarks which are unprintable, 
but which were grossly offensive and insulting. 
The sergeant quietly leaning his musket 
against the nearest tent-pole, said: "You 
needn't go to the doctor for that, I can attend 
to your case myself," and before the recruit had 
time to think or move, Horner " lit on him," 
and so sudden and unlooked for was the attack, 
and so vigorously and industriously maintained 
that the recruit was taken completely by sur- 
prise and in a moment was in such a condition 
that his dearest friends would have found it 
difficult to recognize him, and before he could 
fully realize what had occured, he was on the 
way to the guard-house. Horner now fixed 
his not very gentle gaze on the next man, and 
with finger pointed at him like a poised javelin, 
asked savagely: "What's the matter with you?" 
The man backed away with hands partly raised 
as though to protect his face, and stammered 
out something about not meaning any harm, 
that the other fellow asked them to " fall in " as 
a joke on the sergeant, and more to the same 
effect, when he was cut short by Horner saying: 



214 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

"Get to your quarters or I'll murder you," and 
when he looked round for the other pretended 
sick men of the squad they had disappeared. 
That "lapsy pall" disease was not again on the 
list of maladies, and there was no more trouble 
with that batch of recruits; they moved along 
quietly, did their duty and obeyed orders, the 
matter never after being referred to. 

It must not be supposed from the above that 
physical force was generally employed in ex- 
acting military obedience in the 9th New York. 
It was in strict opposition to the Rules of Ser- 
vice and also contrary to regimental orders for 
a non-commissioned officer to strike a soldier 
of whatever rank, particularly a private. Seldom 
or never was this resorted to except when a 
non-com. had become irritated and aggravated 
beyond endurance by acts, which, though not 
strictly overt, were nevertheless of such a char- 
acter as to injure discipline and tend to destroy 
authority, and which gave the officer an oppor- 
tunity (If he possessed sufficient courage and 
the physical qualities) to successfully redress 
his own grievances. 

After the evacuation of Norfolk by the enemy, 
Colonel Hawkins had urged upon the depart- 
ment the importance of opening the Dismal 
Swamp canal to Norfolk, by which route a 
twenty-four hour communication between Fort- 



REOPENING THE CANAL. 21S 

ress Monroe and Newberne would be secured 
and the dangers of the outside route around 
Hatteras avoided. The authorities decided to 
act on his suggestions and in the latter part 
of May Professor Malifert, who had been 
the first person to successfully conduct sub- 
marine blasting operations, arrived for the 
purpose of superintending the work of remov- 
ing the obstructions from North river and the 
canal. 

The steamer " Port Royal," with a detail and 
two guns from Company K, under Captain 
Whiting and Lieutenant Morris, was assigned 
to protect the working party. This was made 
up of one hundred contrabands from the island 
in charge of Sergeant Thompson of Company I. 
Very little opposition was encountered by them 
and the undertaking was successfully accom- 
plished, all- obstructions being removed, the 
abandoned rebel fortifications destroyed, and an 
unobstructed and direct waterway secured 
between General Burnside's forces and the north. 

On the morning of May 20, the " Port Royal" 
completed the first trip through the canal and 
arrived at Fortress Monroe, carrying dispatches 
direct from General Burnside to General Wool, 
and the work was accomplished. 

Captain Whiting, with the detail from Com- 
pany K, continued to keep the communication 



216 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

open during the month of June, after which they 
were relieved and returned to the regiment. 

The men of the regiment who were so fortu- 
nate as to take part in the expedition to open 
the canal enjoyed a new and interesting exper- 
ience in thus penetrating the heart of the mys- 
terious " Dismal." Vivid object lessons in 
relation to certain phases of the " peculiar insti- 
tution " were brought forcibly to their notice by 
the occasional appearance of fugitive slaves 
among the working party. These men, five of 
whom appeared while the detail were in the 
canal, had been living in the swamp for years ; 
they presented themselves fearlessly and asked 
to be permitted to join the party. There was 
no hesitation nor distrust. They had evidently 
received full information regarding the situation 
by that unexplained and mysterious system used 
for spreading information, known only to them- 
selves and which no white man has yet been 
able to discover. It was all like a page from 
" Uncle Tom's Cabin." 

They were received without question and 
became part of the working force, and afterward 
returned with the party to Roanoke Island. 

One of the fugitives informed Sergeant 
Thompson that he had escaped from his master 
in the year 1855, had succeeded in baffling the 
bloodhounds, and had lived in the swamp ever 
since — seven years. 



COMPANY F AT PL} r M0 UTH. 2 1 7 

Early in the month of June the town of 
Plymouth on the Roanoke river was captured 
by the fleet and held by the naval forces until 
the 15th, when after inspecting the place, it 
was decided to hold it permanently, if pos- 
sible, and Company F was detached from 
the regiment for this purpose, remaining as 
garrison of the town until the following Decem- 
ber. 

Plymouth at that time was a city of much 
importance, being a port of entry with a large 
trade in lumber, shingles, naval stores, etc., but 
when first occupied by Company F, had been 
almost deserted by its inhabitants. A dwelling- 
house of sufficient capacity to accommodate the 
rank and file was levied on for quarters for the 
company while the officers were provided with a 
smaller one near at hand. Permission having 
been granted to Colonel Hawkins to enlist loyal 
North Carolinians for service with the Union 
troops, and organize them into companies or 
regiments as he deemed best, equipments suffi- 
cient for a regiment each of infantry and cavalry 
were issued to him for that purpose. 

The custom house was again taken possession 
of by the Government, and was utilized as a 
depot for military and naval supplies. In a 
short time the town became a busy little military 
post, garrisoned by one company whose captain 



218 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOIUNTEERS. 

(Hammill) commanded the post, Lieut. H. C. 
Perley the troops, while Lieut. M. J. Graham 
composed the entire staff of quartermaster, com- 
missary and ordinance officer. 

The surrounding country being held by the 
enemy the greatest vigilance was at all times 
observed. A heavy picket guard was continu- 
ously on duty, causing the details therefor to 
follow in turn with such frequency that it was 
far from agreeable. 

This duty, however, was considerably light- 
ened as soon as the " Yokels "(as the boys dubbed 
the new North Carolina recruits) had received 
sufficient instruction and drill to warrant detail- 
ing them for such service. The Union fleet, con- 
sisting of improvised small gunboats, had its 
permanent rendezvous in the river fronting the 
town and was commanded by Lieut-Com- 
mander Charles E. Flusser, an exceptionally 
energetic and efficient officer. Frequent expe- 
ditions were sent into the adjacent country, 
with the special object of capturing detachments 
of the enemy or destroying collections of mili- 
tary supplies ; at other times on a simple 
reconnaissance to locate the enemy and gain 
from the loyal inhabitants, whose fathers and 
brothers were serving with the Union army, any 
information they had been able to gather concern- 
ing the operations of the enemy, and which occa- 



" PUT OUT YOUR FENDERS MR. L VNCH." 2 1 9 

sionally proved of much value. These expedi- 
tions were generally ordered by Flusser, who 
was ranking officer at the post, and the available 
number of soldiers being limited, were fre- 
quently largely composed of sailors from the 
fleet. Flusser was continuously on the alert, 
constantly striving to advance the interest of 
the cause in which he was enlisted. He 
was known in the navy to be of unflinching 
courage, clear and correct in judgment, and was 
looked upon by both soldiers and sailors as the 
coming Nelson of the war. His men never 
tired of repeating the account of their fight up 
the Chowan river, when they rammed, and 
boarded the gunboat which was flying the flag 
of the rebel Commodore Lynch, who had been 
Flusser's commander before the war, when 
upon closing in on the Commodore, Flusser, 
who was forward at the head of his boarders, 
removed his cap and shaking it toward the 
enemy, shouted : " Put out your fenders, Mr. 
Lynch, I'm coming alongside," then rammed 
and boarded, and in five minutes had captured 
the enemy ; but not his old commander, how- 
ever, who had escaped. 

Occasionally Company F would come in con- 
tact with the enemy while on these scouts, but 
their casualties were few. In two instances 
they went up the river on the gunboats in 



220 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

attempts to capture or destroy the nearly com- 
pleted rebel ram " Albemarle," but on both occa- 
sions unforeseen circumstances prevented suc- 
cess in the design. On the whole, garrison life at 
Plymouth was more congenial and pleasant to 
the men of Company F than any previous experi- 
ence. The town was of considerable size and 
although at first practically deserted, shortly 
afterwards contained quite a colony, the inhabit- 
ants returning and refugees, both white and 
black, coming in from the neighboring country. 

The sailors passed their days of "shore leave" 
in town, and fraternized with the soldiers, while 
both having considerable money, created quite 
a lively trade in the place which was increased 
as the citizens returned. The public market 
reopened, some of the merchants resumed busi- 
ness, and the general outlook for prosperity was 
gratifying to the inhabitants. The treatment 
of the black refugees by the post-commander 
created much feeling among the men of the 
company, and only the restraints of discipline 
and the personal popularity of Captain Hammill 
prevented serious consequences to him. 

Several unpleasant incidents occurred in con- 
nection with runaway slaves of which we recount 
the following : Two negro men escaped from their 
master and sought protection within the lines. 
The owner followed them to Plymouth, reques- 



SURRENDER OF FUGITIVE SLA VES. 22 1 

ted and was granted permission from Hammill 
to recover and take away his property. On 
finding them he tied their wrists together with 
one end of a rope, leading them through the 
streets by the other end, as a farmer might lead 
cattle to market. On the way to the dock 
where his boat lay, he was compelled to pass 
the guard-house of the regiment, and the sight 
of the shackled colored men was an unpleasant 
one for the eyes of northern soldiers. Clark 
Wright, who was corporal of the guard that 
day, was unable to control his indignation at 
the spectacle, and taking out his pocket-knife 
quickly cut the rope and told the negroes to 
run. They, without a moment's hesitation, did 
so, conforming to the scriptural injunction, 
and quickly disappeared. Shameful to relate, 
they were recaptured by Hammill's authority 
and assistance, and restored to the owner. 
Corporal Wright was reduced to the ranks for 
his part in aiding the escape. 

In the fall of 1862 a large force was organ- 
ized at Newberne under General Foster, with 
the intention of capturing Tarboro, Little 
Washington, and other important strategic 
points in that portion of North Carolina. 
Company F joined the column upon its arrival 
at Plymouth, and, because of its familiarity 
with the country, was placed in the advance as 



222 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

skirmishers, and held that position without 
once bein^ relieved during the entire march 
to Tarboro, returning to Plymouth after the 
completion of the movement. This occupation 
of the country by Foster afforded an oppor- 
tunity for the company to rejoin the regiment, 
and in November, it was relieved by Wessel's 
brigade of Foster's command, and after a 
tedious roundabout journey via Newberne, 
Baltimore and Washington, and after a six 
months' separation rejoined the regiment in 
front of Fredericksburg, where it again took its 
place in line. No fatted calf was killed on the 
return of the company, but the best the regiment 
had (hard tack and coffee) was passed around 
amid general rejoicing. 

One week after Company F left Plymouth 
the place was attacked simultaneously by land 
and water. Wessels was defeated, and the 
town re-captured. The steamer "Albemarle" 
attacked the Union fleet, and Flusser was 
killed by the rebound of one of his own shells. 
The "Southfield" was sunk, the remainder of the 
fleet was temporarily scattered, and Plymouth 
and its surroundings were once more in the 
hands of the enemy, while general demoraliza- 
tion was felt everywhere. 

About this time great anxiety was felt and 
great activity prevailed in higher military circles, 



PREPARING FOR A MOVE. 223 

owing to the precarious position then oceupied 
by the Army of the Potomac. 

On the 8th of June, 1862, General Burnside 
passed through the Dismal Swamp canal on 
his way to Fortress Monroe for the purpose of 
consultation with General Dix. He arrived 
the following day, and at Secretary of War 
Stanton's suggestion visited General McClel- 
lan's headquarters, where he remained some 
six hours, then returned to his own department. 

June 24th, in reply to a dispatch from 
McClellan, Burnside answered that in five days 
he could land a force of 7,000 infantry in 
Norfolk, ready for transportation to White 
House landing, but without wagons, camp 
equipage, artillery or cavalry, or in the same 
time he could place at a point on the Chowan 
river with a view to co-operation in an attack on 
Petersburg, 7,000 infantry, 12 pieces of artillery, 
3 companies of cavalry, and sufficient wagons 
for ammunition and 5 days' subsistence; could 
move on Weldon with the same force, or on 
Goldsborough at 60 hours' notice with 10,000 
infantry, 20 pieces artillery, and 5 companies of 
cavalry. 

The next day McClellan telegraphed Burn- 
side, that reports had been received stating 
that Jackson's forces were coming to Rich- 
mond, and part of Beauregard's had already 



224 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

arrived, and for Burnside to advance on 
Goldsborough with all his available force at 
the earliest practicable moment, and wished 
him to understand that every minute in this 
crisis was of the greatest importance. He was 
urged to reach Goldsborough as soon as 
possible, destroying all the railroad communi- 
cations toward Richmond that he could, and if 
possible destroy bridges on the Raleigh and 
Gaston R. R., and threaten Raleigh. President 
Lincoln had previously telegraphed Burnside: 
" I think you had better go with any reinforce- 
ments you can spare to General McClellan." 

At 3 o'clock a.m., July ist, the Ninth moved 
to Pork Point in heavy marching order, boarded 
schooners which were towed by the " Ocean 
Wave " down Pamlico Sound to the mouth of 
Neuse river, where they were met by a steamer 
bringing orders for them to return to Roanoke, 
" the object of the expedition having been ac- 
complished." The Ninth reached Roanoke the 
following evening. 

On July 3d Burnside at Newberne tele- 
graphed McClellan that he had embarked 7,000 
infantry and was on the way to join him, when 
he met a messenger informing him of McClel- 
lan's important successes before Richmond, 
which, if true, would render it unnecessary for 
him to join McClellan. 



REINFORCEMENTS FOR McCLELLAN. 225 

He brought his fleet to anchor and sent a 
steamer through to Norfolk to ascertain the ex- 
act state of affairs, while he held himself in 
readiness to move in any direction. The same 
day Burnside telegraphed Stanton that in 
accordance with the latter's suggestion, he 
had embarked 7,000 men and was proceeding to 
the point designated by Stanton when he met a 
dispatch from Colonel Hawkins, commanding 
at Roanoke, stating there was information from 
Fortress Monroe of some very important suc- 
cesses to our arms in front of Richmond, which 
if true, rendered his proceeding further unnec- 
essary. He had come to anchor and sent a 
messenger to Norfolk to ascertain the exact 
facts. 

On July 2d, 6 p.m., Hawkins sent the follow- 
ing message from Roanoke Island to General 
Dix: 

" General Dix I wish you would telegraph immediately to President 
Lincoln if he has any orders other than the last sent some three days 
ago for General Burnside. 

"We are almost ready to move in obedience to that order. If 
Richmond be taken the President may wish to change his instructions. 
Please give me General McClellan's position when last heard from. 
Please return dispatch-boat immediately, as the news which it brings 
will, I think, govern the operations in this department." 

On July 3d, 3 p.m., General Dix forwarded 
this dispatch to Secretary Stanton with these 
comments : 

" I have just received the following dispatch from Colonel Hawkins: " 
" I do not quite understand why General Burnside should not have 



226 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

sent it in his own name, if it comes from or is authorized by him. The 
officer who brought it says Colonel Hawkins sent it with the assurance 
that General Burnside would approve it." 

The same date Stanton sent Hawkins through 
Dix: 

" Richmond not taken. General McClellan has been compelled to 
fall back to Harrison's Bar on James." 

" It is the opinion of the President, and he so directs, that General 
Burnside in person, with all the infantry force he can spare, move by 
way of Hampton Roads and the James, to General McClellan's head- 
quarters to reinforce him immediately." 

On the same date General Dix telegraphed : 

"The President: — Soon after sending you Colonel Hawkins' dis- 
patch I received from General McClellan an order to General Burnside 
to bring on all the troops he could spare. I sent it off immediately 
with a letter from myself, describing to General Burnside the position 
of General McClellan's army. The steamer having gone I cannot send 
your dispatch to Colonel Hawkins until morning. I will do so then if 
you desire it." 

July 5th, Burnside sent word to Stanton that 
his dispatch-boat sent for information to Nor- 
folk had not yet returned, and adds : 

" In the meantime we hear most startling rumors of disasters to 
General McClellan's army, which are in sad contrast to the dispatch 
from Colonel Hawkins on Roanoke Island on the night of the 2d in St., 
and announced himself ready to move in any direction." 

Stanton replied at once : 

" The department has no further orders to give but hopes you will 
with all speed reach General McClellan with as large a force as 
possible." 

At 4:40 p.m., Burnside reported he had 
reached Fortress Monroe with nearly 8,000 
good men, and would leave as soon as the 
bulk of the command arrived, and was told to 
remain until the President, then on the way, 



' ' WHERE IGNORANCE IS BL ISS. " 227 

reached the fort. General Foster was left in 
charge of the Department of North Carolina. 

The regiment as a whole was in blissful 
ignorance of the exact military situation here 
shown, and, of course, had no knowledge 
of these flying telegrams or hurried prepa- 
rations, and it is not remembered now that 
the men were even aware that the greater 
portion of the corps was already in Vir- 
ginia. Consequently they kept on in the 
even tenor of their way. 

Fourth of July was celebrated by firing salutes 
from Forts Foster and Parke, and reading the 
Declaration of Independence; after which the 
day was devoted to all kinds of sport and 
amusement — one specially notable feature being 
a fantastic parade in the afternoon, when Com- 
pany K gave a fine exhibition of light artillery 
drill with their wheelbarrow battery, which was 
warmly applauded by the enthusiastic spec- 
tators. 

One extremely interesting feature of the stay 
at Roanoke was the "Contraband Camp." 
When the news of the capture of the island 
spread among the slaves on the adjacent main- 
land they commenced getting their belongings 
together, and leaving homes and masters to 
flock to the Union camp, searching for that free- 
dom of which they had so long dreamed. 



228 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Nearly every night one or more boat-loads of 
slaves landed on the beach and were taken 
in charge by the guard. This was an ex- 
tremely dangerous proceeding for escaping 
slaves, and would have been considered heroic 
bravery had they been white men. No sooner 
had the danger of pursuit and capture by wrath- 
ful owners abated, and the peril of the watery 
journey been overcome, than a new danger, de- 
manding the greatest caution, presented itself. 
They were obliged to approach a strange shore 
in the darkness of night, where the sentinels 
were keenly alert for the approach of an enemy, 
especially by water. The flapping of sails or 
the sound of oars from the water was naturally 
accepted by the picket guard to denote an at- 
tempted night attack and surprise, and their 
faculties were doubly keen, and they were ready 
to at once fire in the direction of the sound, 
should their challenge not be promptly and sat- 
isfactorily responded to. To the soldier's hoarse 
challenge of "Who goes there?" would come 
an answering chorus of screams from the women 
and children, with shouts from the men of 
" Don't shoot, massa sojer ! don't shoot ! We's 
only po' niggahs ! " and similar assurances of 
friendliness, which meant much more of uncer- 
tainty to the sentinel than the refugees knew. 
For how could the sentinel know that this was 



ARRIVAL OF FUGITIVE SLAVES. 229 

not a ruse employed by the enemy ? They 
were, however, seldom or never fired upon, but 
permitted to land, though kept under guard 
until daylight, when they were marched to head- 
quarters and proper disposition made of them 
by the commanding officer. The mingled terror 
and joy exhibited by the slaves was enough to 
melt the heart of the most unsympathetic. In 
their efforts to gain their freedom they had 
risked death at the hands of the very men 
from whom they sought protection. They did 
not know whether or not they would be re- 
turned to their former masters or be retained by 
new and unknown owners — simply exchanging 
one bondage for another. They were of all 
shades of color and degrees of breed, from the 
full-blood, short-wooled African to almost pure 
white. They came in such numbers to this 
camp that it was soon found necessary to make 
special provision for sheltering, feeding and 
controlling them, as well as for using their labor. 
On February 20th, 1862, an order was issued, 
detailing Serg't. Walter L. Thompson, of Com- 
pany I, " to organize and care for contrabands 
within this military district." Sergeant Thomp- 
son at once assumed control of all the 
straggling contrabands on the island. The 
nucleus of his camp was the twenty-seven per- 
sons who had been left by the rebels when the 



230 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

place was captured. All others, scattered about 
the island, were gathered together, and these, 
with the numbers constantly arriving by boats 
from the adjacent mainland, counting men, 
women and children, numbered two hundred 
and fifty, by the ist of April. In three months 
the black refugees reached the number of one 
thousand. The able-bodied males were em- 
ployed in every kind of labor made necessary 
by the conditions existing in the military depart- 
ment. They did the greater part of the heavy 
work of the Quartermaster's Department, un- 
loading, handling and housing provisions, for- 
age, ammunition and the various other stores 
necessary for the maintenance of the army. A 
large number were put at work on a new fort 
which was being erected on the island, to mount 
nine guns, and which was to be named Fort 
Burnside. 

While employed the men were paid the regular 
per diem wages of ordinary hired laborers. To 
those unable to work at such employment as the 
government had to offer, rations were issued and 
shelter provided. Thompson proved himself a 
most efficient officer and was very successful in 
his administration of his negro colony. He 
soon secured perfect control of all his subjects, 
male and female. The female portion proved 
the most difficult to manage. Fights among the 



ASSISTANCE FOR NEWBERNE. 231 

women were a common occurrence and were, in 
a majority of cases, caused by jealousy over the 
attentions of some one or other of the dusky 
dandies of the camp. 

The sergeant was known in the regiment and 
by the soldiers generally, as " Niggardier Gen- 
eral Thompson." He was a busy man during 
the stay on Roanoke. 

When Newberne was besieged by the enemy 
and General Foster sent an urgent appeal for 
aid to assist in throwing up intrenchments and 
breastworks to protect the city, Sergeant 
Thompson responded so promptly that in six 
hours after the receipt of the order to furnish 
the labor, he was on board the steamer " Ocean 
Wave " on his way to Newberne with three- 
hundred able-bodied men with their families. 
He left them there working like beavers on the 
defenses — and the place was not taken. 

It is needless to say that the "Niggardier" 
was looked upon by the negroes under his 
command as a big man. He, to them, was the 
visible representation and embodiment of au- 
thority. He fed and clothed them, praised and 
punished. 

It is related that at a time when there was to 
be a general inspection of the camp by Colonel 
Hawkins, who was in command of the post, a 
number of the negroes happened to be present 
when he arrived to perform that duty. 



NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The full dress uniform for commissioned offi- 
cers of the regiment was modeled after the 
French fashion, and, like the French officers, the 
rank was designated by various convolutions of 
gold lace on the sleeve, extending from the wrist 
to the elbow. Now the Colonel being a remark- 
ably fine looking man, even without any extra 
ornamentation, was simply gorgeous in his 
handsome uniform, with gold laced red cap and 
six bands of lace on his sleeves and would 
have attracted attention anywhere and from 
anybody. 

One of the darkies, a newcomer, upon catching 
sight of the Colonel, seized his nearest neighbor, 
a veteran of the camp, by the arm and stam- 
mered in an awe-struck voice: "Who, who dat 
ar man wid all dat gold on his sleebe?" The 
other, who knew who the Colonel was, replied 
very consequentially: "Dat de gin'ral ob all 
dese yer Zourabs. Dat de highest up man on 
de Island." That statement appeared to un- 
settle, in a measure, some former ideas of rank 
and power apparently held by the recruit, for he 
inquired timidly: "Am dat ar gin'ral ob de 
Zourabs a bigger man dan Massa Thompson?" 
The other turned on him with scorn and con- 
tempt in both voice and manner, and by way of 
reply asked: "Who feed you nigger? Whar 
you git yo' blankets from ? Who git yo' de 



UPHOLDING THE DIGNITY OF RANK. 233 

money for yo' wo'k ? Does dis yer gin'ral of de 
Zourabs gib it to yo', or does Massa Thompson 
gib it to yo? Go 'way nigga yo' mak me tired." 
Of course the other negro slunk away, no doubt 
feeling that he had been properly rebuked for 
permitting himself to doubt for a moment that 
Massa Thompson was the " biggest " man on the 
Island. 

A certain class of officers in the service during 
the war (which may be said to be also true of 
certain others yet in the army), found considera- 
ble difficulty in maintaining a degree of dignity 
satisfactory to themselves without using all 
the accessories possible, the most noticeable 
being the constant attendance of an orderly, 
both in season and out of season. Thompson, 
who held the rank of Niggardier-General, not 
to be outdone by his fellow officers of high 
rank, felt called upon to do the same. It was 
suspected, however, that there was a little sly 
humor in this and that probably he had in mind 
Burns' lines 

"Oh ! wad some power the giftie gie us 
To see oursel's as ithers see us," etc. 

But be that as it may, he was followed on all 
occasions of ceremony and when visiting head- 
quarters for orders, or on ordinary duty, by his 
orderly. This individual was a diminutive negro 
about seven or eight years old, and small for that 



234 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

age. The sergeant had him fitted out with a 
complete Zouave uniform, (ez included, and 
had trained him to follow at a distance of two 
or three paces, and to conform to every move- 
ment of his chief like a bugler to his command- 
ing officer on drill or in action. It was a source 
of great amusement to the men to see the per- 
formances of the little darkey orderly. When 
Thompson moved the orderly moved, and 
when Thompson stopped the orderly halted 
like a well-trained soldier. If it became neces- 
sary to stop to converse with acquaintances, to 
report to a superior officer, or for any other 
purpose, the first thing the sergeant did was to 
turn quickly and look sternly at the orderly, 
who would cast a quick upward glance at him 
exactly like that of a trained dog. Thompson 
would say sharply: "Salute the gentlemen! 
What do I keep you for?" when the little fellow 
would execute the military salute with a pre- 
cision and dignity equal to the showiest drum- 
major in the army. 

On the afternoon of a scorching day, July 
ioth, final orders were received to leave Roa- 
noke Island, and it proved to be a departure 
for all time. No doubt there were a variety of 
sensations in the breast of the soldiers as they 
tramped with well filled knapsacks through the 
hot sand to the transports. The vessels quickly 



FAREWELL TO ROANOKE LSLAND. 233 

got up anchor and sailed for Norfolk, Va. The 
troops arrived early on the 12th inst, landing 
and making camp within a stone's throw of Old 
Fort Norfolk. 

The boys parted from Roanoke Island with 
many regrets, for while an inconvenient place, 
in the sense that it required a long time to 
receive a letter from home, still there were many 
pleasant memories connected with their stay 
there. It was there they saw their first severe 
active service, and where they had so conducted 
themselves as to earn favorable comments from 
the several generals in command. For their 
conduct there they had received the plaudits 
of the Northern press. The pictorial weeklies 
had emblazoned their celebrated bayonet charge 
both far and wide, which illustrations had 
been copied in some of the foreign illustrated 
periodicals, while artists had embraced the sub- 
ject in their studies. 

Before closing this chapter which ends the 
career of the regiment in North Carolina, it 
may be interesting to mention some of the fruits 
of the victories gained by the Burnside expe- 
dition. 

At Roanoke Island : 4 forts mounting 29 
guns; 3 rebel gunboats destroyed by the fleet; 
4,000 prisoners with their arms and equipments 



286 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and a stragetical position which commanded 
both the North Carolina Sounds. 

At Newberne : 9 forts mounting 41 heavy 
guns; over two miles of intrenchments with 19 
field pieces in position, and 6 32-pdrs., un- 
mounted; over 300 prisoners and more than 
1,000 stand of small arms; tents and barracks 
for 10,000 troops; large amounts of army sup- 
plies and naval stores, and the control of the 
second commercial city of North Carolina. 

Fort Macon, with 67 guns and over 500 prison- 
ers. 

The Union losses were comparatively small 
when the great result attained by them is con- 
sidered. 

At Roanoke Island the Union losses were : 
Army, 37 killed, 214 wounded, 13 missing; 
total, 264. 

Navy, 3 killed, it wounded; total, 14. 

Confederate loss not ascertained. 

At South Mills or Camden, Union loss: 13 
killed, 101 wounded, 13 missing; total, 127. 

Confederate loss: 6 killed, 19 wounded, 3 
missing; total, 28. 

At Newberne the Union losses were : 90 
killed, 380 wounded, 1 missing; total, 471. 

Confederate loss : 64 killed, 214 wounded, 413 
captured and missing; total, 578. 



FRUITS OF THE BURNSIDE EXPEDITION. 237 

At Fort Macon : 9 killed, 25 wounded on both 
sides. 

Truly Gen. Burnside was not vain-glorious 
when, on leaving the department, he said : 

" The Burnside expedition has passed into 
history. Its record we can be proud of. No 
body of troops ever had more difficulties to over- 
come in the same space of time. Its perils were 
both by land and water. Defeat never befell it. 
No gun was lost by it. Its experience was a 
succession of honorable victories. 1 ' 



CHAPTER IX. 

FAREWELL TO ROANOKE ISLAND — ARRIVAL AT OLD 
FORT NORFOLK, VA.— OFF FOR FORTRESS MONROE- 
ARRIVAL AT FALMOUTH, VA.— DRILLS AND DRESS 
PARADES A PROMINENT FEATURE — RUMORS OF 
DISASTER — ARMY DESERTS FREDERICKSBURG AND 
DESTROYS STORES — POPE'S CAMPAIGN AND DIS- 
ASTROUS FAILURE — McCLELLAN AGAIN IN COM- 
MAND OF ARMY OF THE POTOMAC — DISORDER IN 
WASHINGTON — CAMP AT MERIDIAN HILL — OFF 
FOR THE MARYLAND CAMPAIGN — DESCRIPTION 
OF MARCH— SKIRMISHES WITH THE ENEMY— ARRI- 
VAL AT FREDERICK CITY, MD.— HOSPITALITY OF 
INHABITANTS — FIRE IN JAIL — ON TO ANTIETAM — 
BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN — COOLNESS OF 
MAJOR JARDINE UNDER FIRE — DEATH OF GENERAL 
RENO AND COMMENTS ON HIS SOLDIERLY QUALI- 
TIES—ARRIVAL NEAR ANTIETAM — NIGHT BEFORE 
THE BATTLE. 

THE route from Roanoke Island to Norfolk 
lay through Croatan Sound and North 
River, to and through the Dismal Swamp 
Canal and Elizabeth river. The journey was 
full of interest to the Zouaves, many of 
whom were entirely unacquainted with the 
sights and sounds of that strange region. 
Owing to the shallow water of the Dismal 
Swamp Canal, .the transports stopped at its 



THE JOURNEY TO NORFOLK. 239 

headwater and the troops were transferred to 
vessels of lesser draught which were to be towed 
through the canal by tugboats. The human heart 
is always profoundly moved by the majesty 
of silence. The faculties of the mind are 
more keenly alert and the emotions more re- 
sponsive at the midnight hour than during the 
hum of busy noon. Thus when the world- 
famed Dismal Swamp was entered new enotions 
were put into life — set at liberty, so to speak. 

" Silence! coeval with eternity! 
Thou wert ere nature's self began to be." 

To the northern soldiers all was new and 
strange and they also were silent. The boats 
glided weird and ghost-like through the dark 
water, "amid the ancient forests of a land mild, 
gloomy, magnificently grand," and when a 
comrade's attention was desired 

" The tongue moved gently first, and speech was low." 

The straight columns of the cypresses towered 
far above, their gnarled roots, rugged and but- 
tress-like where they showed above the water. 
Clinging to them were whisks and festoons of 
Spanish moss contrasting beautifully against 
the darker hue of trunk and branches. And 
now the boats seem to stand still, while troop- 
ing toward them came holly, juniper, cotton- 
gum, and sweet-bay scattered thickly among 
the lordly cypress. A species of bamboo-cane 



240 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

grew profusely, its graceful stems bending over 
the brown water, or standing stiffly erect in 
small huddling crowds. On the dry ridges 
were beech, and oak and through the over- 
hanging foliage the light struggled down sub- 
dued and soft as through cathedral windows. 
Nor was it indeed utterly desolate and voice- 
less. Occasionally the sweet notes of a song 
bird filtered through the trees or a startled gray 
crane, with ^discordant cry, flapped heavily 
upward from the water. Blue heron were 
sometimes seen, but quickly disappeared down 
the long vista before, or darted into a familiar 
bayou out of sight and danger. 

On one occasion a solitary negro appeared 
upon the elevated bank of the canal, and stared 
in open-mouthed wonder at the troops as they 
passed in slow review before him. To the many 
questions and salutations hurled' at him he re- 
turned no answer, but gazed in speechless 
astonishment at the gliding boats and their armed 
and uniformed passengers. Long after the flo- 
tilla had passed he remained on the bank, 
motionless as a statue, until the intervening 
foliage hid him from view. Speculation ran high 
among the more romantic and imaginative of the 
men as to who he was and where he came from. 
Had he escaped from a cruel master to liberty 
and a home in the great dismal swamp? Had 



THE ARRIVAL A T NORFOLK. 24 1 

he eluded the overseer and baffled the blood- 
hounds ? Was he alone in this solitude ? Was 
his habitation near ? How did he subsist ? Was 
he still a slave or was he merely a "free nigger" 
engaged in the regular occupation of shingle 
making ? Some of the boys were by this time 
about ready to expect Tom Moore's ghostly 
Indian maiden with her white canoe and fire-fly 
lamp. 

Altogether the journey through the swamp 
was a pleasant experience, which for novelty and 
instruction could scarcely be surpassed. It was 
greatly enjoyed by all. 

On the morning of July 12th, the vessels ar- 
rived at their destination, and the regiment, dis- 
embarking, went into camp at old Fort Norfolk. 
They remained at Norfolk about a month, the 
time being passed, as usual, in the execution of 
drills and parades. 

It was at Norfolk that the increased number 
of visitors at dress parade first became noticeable. 
Many visiting soldiers, officers, as well as privates, 
were sure to grace the occasion of that ceremony 
with their presence. Some of the New York 
militia regiments who had responded to the 
President's call for thirty day troops, were then 
stationed at Fortress Monroe. They were eager 
to observe the Zouaves at drill, and many ob- 
tained passes and visited old Fort Norfolk for 
that purpose. 



242 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The color line of the regiment was on ground 
recently cleared of trees, the stumps being left 
still standing. This was the cause of much dis- 
tress of mind to all the troops — men and officers 
alike, as the difficulty of marching or carrying 
out any movement among the obstructing 
stumps was very great. It was, nevertheless, 
the best of practice, and taught the men to pre- 
serve alignment with great precision under bet- 
ter or ordinary conditions. The manner in 
which the various companies moved out of their 
respective streets at the adjutant's call was a 
sight much appreciated by the visitors, judging 
by the generous applause bestowed each 
evening. 

The old smooth-bore muskets with which the 
men were originally armed, and which were 
known among them as "Columbiads," were 
here turned in and the new Springnelds issued 
in their stead, much to the delight of everyone, 
from the colonel to the drummer boys. The 
Springnelds were far handsomer in appearance, 
weighed less, and, as the calibre was smaller, 
the ammunition was lighter, the latter being a 
matter of no small importance. 

On July 24th, tents were struck, and the 
Ninth, with its camp equipage, embarked on the 
steamer " C. S. Terry," during a driving rain. 
The destination was Newport News, which was 



BA CK AT NE WPOR T NEWS. 243 



reached about noon of the same day. The road 
here was lined with encampments of other 
regiments, past which the Ninth was obliged to 
march. The distinctive dress of the Zouaves 
disclosed their identity to the others at once, 
many of whom viewed them for the first time. 
Their reputation for tried and seasoned 
soldiers, however, had evidently preceded them 
for their passage was a continuous ovation. On 
a bluff near the James river, not far from the 
camp which it first occupied, the regiment 
halted and raised its tents. Ten days later 
(Sunday, August 3d) the regiment again broke 
camp in another drenching rain and boarded 
the steamer " New York," which in the after- 
noon carried them away to join the army of the 
Potomac. After a delay of about five hours at 
Fortress Monroe, the steamer proceeded at 9 
o'clock p.m., up the now famous Potomac river 
reaching Acquia Creek about 10 o'clock the 
next forenoon. On ^the following day (August 
5th) the soldiers were transferred to the steamer 
"Columbia," bound for Brent's Point, where 
they arrived about noon and boarded a railway 
train for Falmouth Station. Falmouth Station 
was on the Stafford side of the Rappahannock 
opposite the City of Fredricksburg, which" could 
be plainly seen from the camp. Here the regi- 
ment pitched its tents and named the place 
Camp Parke, after its brigade-commander. 



244 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

A detachment of one hundred men which had 
been left at Roanoke to pack up and guard the 
surplus stores left behind by the regiment, 
arrived on August 8th, under command of 
Captain Graham, bringing also the regimental 
uniforms. 

Knapsack drills were now the order of the day, 
but the Ninth showed they could maintain their 
perfect drill under any conditions. 

The regimental band had been re-organized 
and enlarged and the members clothed in new 
uniforms. Under the excellent leadership of 
Mr. Wallace, of New York City, their music 
was of a high order and their appearance 
decidedly attractive. 

The proficiency of the regiment in all matters 
pertaining to the duties of a soldier was shown 
in its complete mastery of military details. 
Guard mounting and guard duty, discipline, 
style and finish in the performance of the 
manual of arms, promptness and accuracy in 
the fulfillment of camp duties, and especially 
the efficiency of battalion drills and dress 
parades, very quickly attracted the attention 
of the members of neighboring regiments. 
Soldiers off duty, and occasionally officers, 
began' to notice the drills and parades, and 
they evidently spread the report among their 
comrades, for the audiences began to swell 



VISITORS AT DRILL AND PARADE. 245 

daily until the parade ground was lined with 
a large crowd ere the parade began. Horse 
and foot came from all directions to view the 
Zouaves. In pleasant weather enlisted men 
by the hundred, mounted officers by the score, 
and even generals did not disdain to carefully 
scrutinize the movements. It is recalled with 
pride that General McClellan, who was at 
Fredericksburg for several days just previous to 
the withdrawal of the corps to Washington, was 
present with his staff on more than one occa- 
sion. The members of the regiment did not 
fail to notice the interest shown by the other 
troops and the resulting pride tended to 
strengthen their esprit de corps and assisted 
them to maintain their Iwh standard. 

The foregoing is not written with an intention 
to exaggerate, nor with a boastful spirit. 
Doubtless, there are still many of those specta- 
tors living at this writing who could vouch for 
its historical truth. To the little company of 
survivors of the regiment, however, these 
statements are known not to be exasperations, 
and they, through the instrumentality of this 
small history, assure their relatives and friends 
of its truth. 

The details for picket duty on the Orange 
Court House, Culpepper, and other roads 
leading from the city into the enemy's country, 
consisted of entire reoiments. 



246 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

When the Zouaves were detailed they always 
paraded in full dress uniforms, headed by the 
band with its new instruments, and led by 
Drum-Major Wiley, who was most gorgeously 
arrayed ; and their progress through the city, 
which was as though marching on review, 
attracted universal attention. 

There is little doubt that the appearance of a 
genuine Yankee regiment, in full dress, with 
colors flying, and band playing, had its effect 
upon the inhabitants of Fredericksburg. 

On August 1 2th, Company H was sent to 
guard Potomac Creek Bridge, and on the 14th, 
Lieutenant Herbert was detached with a force 
of twenty-nine men and two guns from Battery 
K, with orders to break up a rebel ferry, which 
was being operated some miles down the river. 
Embarking on the steamer "Cooper's Point," 
he hurried down the Rappahannock river to the 
ferry, the affair being managed so skillfully and 
secretly as to prove a complete surprise. After 
a brief conflict the detachment captured thirteen 
of the enemy with their side-arms, a quantity of 
baggage, and four horses, and after destroying 
all means of transportation at the ferry, returned 
safely without the loss of a man. 

At this time news was received of the 
crushing defeat of the army under Pope, and 
the invasion of Maryland by Lees forces ; and 



UNEASINESS A T FREDERICKSB URG. 247 

General McClellan was once more placed in 
command of the Army of the Potomac. 

Some days before this rumors were circulated 
that bodies of troops had repeatedly been 
detached from the army and sent towards the 
right, up the Rappahannock. 

Reports were also rife about battles having 
been fought to the northwest of Fredericks- 
burg with varying results, and finally that the 
enemy had defeated Sigel and broken through 
the Union lines away towards the right. 

Great activity was also observed among the 
higher officers connected with headquarters, and 
the soldiers soon manifested a restless and 
uneasy feeling, which could not be well defined 
or described. 

It was not the same uneasiness which soldiers 
usually exhibited on the eve of a battle, but was 
more like the effect of a belief that some import- 
ant movement had resulted in failure, and that 
defeat and disaster were impending; still there 
was nothing tangible on which to base such a 
belief, beyond the mysterious camp rumors 
prevailing. It was an epidemic of uneasiness 
and unrest. 

Marching orders at last came to their relief, 
attended with great haste and consequent 
confusion. As the Zouaves moved from camp 
and marched over the hills near Falmouth, on 



248 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the evening of August 31st, the sky reflected 
several large fires in as many different por- 
tions of the city. The troops intuitively recog- 
nized this as the destruction of stores and im- 
pedimenta which could not be saved for lack of 
time. The regiment took up the line of march 
which, though only fifteen miles long, will 
never be forgotten while the participants live. 
A furious rain storm had raged all the previous 
night while on picket, and the men with every- 
thing in their possession, excepting muskets and 
cartridges, were thoroughly soaked. Under 
any and all conditions these latter must be 
protected from injury. Tents were struck in the 
mud, and all regimental property which could 
not be carried on an active campaign was 
securely and strongly packed for storage. 

Here the theatrical properties and scenery 
which had been gotten up, or acquired while at 
Roanoke Island, had to be abandoned for lack 
of transportation. They had been carefully 
guarded and cared for by the men during the 
migrations of the regiment subsequent to the 
departure from that station, in the hope that an 
opportunity might present itself to again start 
the theatre, but at last they had to be left to the 
tender mercies of the " Rebs." Many a laugh 
was afterward indulged in by the men at the 
thought of how astonished the Johnnies must 



THE MARCH TO ACQUIA CREEK. 249 

have been at coming into possession of such 
strange looking articles, and the way in which 
they must have stared at them and wondered 
and guessed at their uses. 

The breaking up of a camp involves an im- 
mense amount of labor, and as this work was 
begun the instant the regiment was relieved 
from picket no opportunity occurred for " clean- 
ing up " or drying clothes and blankets. The 
additional weight of soaked blankets to the 
knapsacks was a most trying burden to carry 
even on Qr-ood roads. 

At 6 p.m., the Zouaves moved forward on the 
road for Acquia Creek, and the night soon en- 
closed them in pitchy darkness. The rough and 
hilly roads, muddy and slippery from the recent 
rains, with occasional swollen streams to ford 
made marching almost intolerable. At last, 
about 5 a.m., weary, worn, blistered and bleeding, 
they reached the landing, and after a little delay 
marched about four miles to the bluffs over- 
looking the river where they bivouacked in 
line of battle to act as a support for the artillery 
there stationed and to cover the embarkation of 
the other troops. 

In company with other commands they re- 
mained on the hills for two days, destitute of 
tents or rations, until the remainder of the army, 
with all stores and camp equipage, had embarked 
on transports. 



250 NINTH REGIMENT , NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

On the 4th they marched back to the landing, 
and at 8 p.m., boarded the " Louisiana," bound 
for Washington, arriving there at 10 o'clock the 
next forenoon. Notwithstanding that lan>e 
numbers of troops had recently passed through 
that city, the inhabitants still showed their 
appreciation of a perfect company front, and 
the Zouaves' brisk change of manual while 
marching called forth frequent applause. After 
marching a few miles beyond the city limits 
they bivouacked on Meridian Hill. 

While in bivouac here and owin^' to the 
humid days and cool nights, accompanied by 
heavy dews, and the fact that the regiment was 
without tents, the men suffered severely. Soon, 
however, marching orders were received and 
preparations made for an arduous campaign. 

On September 7th Colonel Hawkins received 
leave of absence and, turning over the com- 
mand of his brigade to Colonel Fairchild, de- 
parted for New York City, regretting that it 
was obligatory for him to leave the army at 
the commencement of a new and what proved 
to be a most important campaign. The Ninth 
Corps now became incorporated with the Army 
of the Potomac, and the Zouaves won new and 
unfading laurels through their historic charge 
on the desperate field of Antietam. 

It may be as well to state that by reason of this 



WHAT FOLLOWED THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN. 261 

leave of absence the ist Brigade, 3d Division, 
9th Corps, then officially known as " Hawkins' 
Brigade," now became " Fairchild's Brigade," 
and it was so known and designated in all offi- 
cial reports and accounts of movements and 
battles which occurred during this most im- 
portant campaign. 

The Army of the Potomac in its campaign 
up the Peninsular had met with reverses in 
front of Richmond, and retreated to Harrison's 
Landing on the James river. In the meantime 
Major-General John Pope had been called from 
his successful campaign in the West, and placed 
in general command of the armies of McDowell, 
Fremont and Banks, although he was junior 
in rank to the other three generals. 

The purpose of this united command was to 
make a demonstration toward Gordonsville and 
Charlottesville and thus draw off part of Lee's 
forces from McClellan's front. 

On June 26th (which was the second day of 
the ''Seven Days' Fight") President Lincoln 
issued an order calling this command the "Army 
of Virginia." 

Early in July Jackson's corps was detached 
from Lee's army confronting McClellan at Har- 
rison's Landing, and on the 19th of that month 
was at Gordonsville confronting Pope, while 



282 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Stuart's rebel cavalry division was sent toward 
Fredericksburg to watch the movements of the 
Union forces from that direction. During: his 
operations on the Virginia Peninsular McClel- 
lan received nearly 160,000 men. When Pres- 
ident Lincoln reviewed the army at Harrison's 
Landing on July 7th, he saw only 86,000, the 
remainder having been removed by disease or 
casualties on the field, fully 50,000 being victims 
of malaria and fever. The President and his 
cabinet now decided ' that an older and wiser 
soldier should be placed at the head of all the 
Federal armies, and as Gen. Henry Wager 
Halleck had shown ability in the west, he was 
summoned to Washington, and on July nth 
appointed commander-in-chief. 

Mr. Stanton, Secretary of War, strenuously 
opposed this appointment but was over-ruled. 

On July -30th, Halleck ordered McClellan to 
send away his sick as rapidly as possible, and 
telegraphed him August 3d : " It is determined 
to withdraw your army from the Peninsular to 
Acquia Creek. You will take immediate meas- 
ures to effect this." . . . 

McClellan protested against this movement, 
as did Generals Dix, Burnside and Sumner, but 
without effect. August 13th Longstreet's whole 
corps was sent to join Jackson at Gordonsville, 
to which place he had fallen back from Cedar 



POPE'S DEFEA T A T MANASSAS. 253 

Mountain, and these forces were commanded by 
Lee in person. This left nothing but D. H. 
Hill's corps confronting McClellan, who, had 
he been permitted, might possibly have taken 
Richmond with very little resistance. 

The first of McClellan's troops arrived at 
Acquia Creek within seven days, and the last 
of the infantry within twenty-six days after the 
receipt of Halleck's order. 

Before the majority of these troops could 
reach Pope he abandoned his line on the Rap- 
pahannock to concentrate his whole force in the 
direction of Warrenton and Gainesville, to con- 
front the enemy who were rapidly marching to 
his right. 

Jackson, passing through Thoroughfare Gap, 
reached Manassas Junction in the rear of Pope, 
and between him and Washington, overcoming 
the small force left to guard the large quanti- 
ties of supplies gathered there. These he 
destroyed, while Stuart struck Catlett's Sta- 
tion, thirty-five miles from Washington, where 
were most of the Federal wagon trains, and 
destroyed what he could not carry off, the 
feat being a peculiarly daring and effec- 
tive one. Jackson made this wonderful march 
of fifty-six miles over difficult roads in the short 
space of thirty-six hours. These disasters were 
followed by the second battle of Bull Run, in 



254 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

which Pope was disastrously defeated, and his 
army stampeded toward Washington in as 
great disorder as in the first Bull Run ; in fact 
all communication between Pope and Wash- 
ington was cut off from August 26th until the 
30th. The greatest panic prevailed in Wash- 
ington, and its early capture by the Confeder- 
ates was greatly feared, and yet it was defended 
by an army of 110,000 men, for in addition to 
Pope's army, which was falling back, there were 
40,000 veterans standing before the lines who 
had not fired a shot in the campaign ; behind 
the lines 30,000 good men of the garrisons and 
the reserves, two-thirds of whom were veterans 
in discipline though untried in battle. 

General McClellan and staff rode into the city 
on the morning of September 2d, as one writer 
says : " Through an innumerable herd of strag- 
glers, mingled with an endless stream of waeons 
and ambulances, urged on by uncontrollable 
teamsters, which presently poured into Washing- 
ton, overflowed it, took possession of its streets 
and public places and held high orgie." 

Disorder reigned unchecked and confusion 
was everywhere. 

The clerks in the departments, many of 
whom had been hurried toward the front to do 
service as nurses, were now hastily formed into 
companies and battalions for defense. The 



THE MARYLAND CAMPAIGN. 255 

Government ordered the arms and ammunition 
at the arsenal and the money in the treasury 
to be shipped to New York, and the banks 
followed the example. A gunboat, with steam 
up, lay in the river off the White House, as if 
to announce to the army and the inhabitants 
the impending flight of the administration. It 
was at this juncture that the President, on his 
own responsibility, once more charged General 
McClellan with the defense of the capitol. On 
the afternoon of the 7th (Lee's army having 
disappeared from in front of Washington) 
87,000 men were in motion, and General 
McClellan set out for Rockville to put himself 
at their head, leaving 73,000 men, 120 field- 
pieces, and about 500 heavy guns in position, 
or nearly one-half of McClellan's entire army. 
General Lee, his army flushed with victories, 
had begun an invasion of the North by way of 
Maryland. 

Moving from Meridian Hill on the morning 
of the 7th of September, the Ninth proceeded 
some ten miles and went into bivouac. On 
the following day shelter tents were issued to 
the men. On the morning of the 9th reveille 
was sounded at three o'clock, and at sunrise 
march was resumed. A march of twelve miles 
brought the regiment to Brookville at 1 1 a.m., 
where it rested until 5 p.m., and once more 



256 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

took the road until 10 p.m., having made an 
additional ten miles and camped near Laytons- 
ville. The movement continued the follow- 
ing day in the direction of ^Frederick, but 
after travelling some four miles the regi- 
ment was ordered to retrace its steps to its last 
camp where it remained until 9 a.m., of the 
nth. Again starting for Frederick it passed 
Damascus at 1.30 p.m, and at five o'clock 
camped near Ridgeville, after a fifteen-mile 
march. 

Thus far the campaign had been of a pleas- 
ant nature, the weather had been fine, the 
absence of the accustomed mud being espe- 
cially noticeable, and all were in high spirits. 
The troops were in what appeared to be a 
friendly country, and in comparison with the 
Virginia they had seen, a beautiful one. The 
soldiers sauntered along leisurely enjoying the 
rural scenes and the pleasing sight of men 
pursuing their daily vocations, while women 
and children stood in doorways or leaned from 
windows to watch them pass. Horses and 
cattle were grazing quietly on field and hillside, 
and everything seemed to indicate peace and 
friendliness from the inhabitants who seemed 
to regard the troops as their army. Dust was 
the only disturbing element. The dry roads 
were so pulverized by the continuous march of 



THE MOVING ARMY. 257 

thousands of men and miles of wagon trains 
and artillery, that the men moved literally in a 
cloud of dust which was dispelled only occa- 
sionally by a gentle breeze, but hardly long 
enough to obtain a view of the surrounding 
country. An abundant water supply along the 
route was a comforting refreshment, however, 
for which all felt truly thankful. 

When the regiment first moved out of 
bivouac on the 7th it became a portion of a 
great river of men rolling down toward Fred- 
erick. A large proportion of this stream of men 
bore but little resemblance to military organi- 
zations. Thousands went plodding along the 
road apparently entirely uncontrolled. Many 
organizations scattered among the mass kept 
well together in regular military formation and 
in good control of their officers. But the dis- 
organized ones were judged to have been por- 
tions of Popes command, which had not yet 
recovered from the demoralization the result of 
the severe campaign through which they had 
just passed. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball was determined 
that the Ninth should not be contaminated by 
this loose example, and therefore issued string- 
ent orders against straggling on any pretense 
whatever. A strong detachment was each morn- 
ing detailed as a regimental rear guard during 



238 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the day's march, with positive orders to permit 
no member of the regiment to fall out for any 
cause whatever unless ordered to an ambulance 
by one of the surgeons. This guard was main- 
tained until after leaving Frederick. It is but 
just to state that during the entire march not a 
man of the " Ninth " straggled from his regi- 
ment. The disorganized condition of portions 
of the troops above mentioned was corrected 
after the campaign was fairly under way. Each 
day saw an improvement, and within a week 
from the start, the entire army was as orderly 
and well disciplined in appearance as the most 
observant military critic could desire. 

Early on the morning of the 12th, march was 
resumed along the main turnpike across the 
Monocacy river for Frederick direct, which had 
been invaded by "Stonewall" Jackson's men. 
Newmarket was passed through at one o'clock, 
and about 3.30 p.m., the column was halted 
under the brow of Monocacy ridge. 

Scattering firing was heard a short distance 
ahead. The advance had struck the rebel army. 
Their rear guard pitched a few shot and shell at 
the advancing troops, more in the way of defi- 
ance than with a view of making any real resist- 
ance to the passage of the Monocacy bridge. The 
cavalry soon had the enemy on the run, crowd- 
ing them through Frederick and up into the 



SKIRMISHING AT THE FRONT. 259 

Catocin mountains. It was noticed and com- 
mented upon by the rank and file that when 
these collisions occurred between the advance of 
the army and the enemy's rear guard, and it 
became necessary to employ infantry for his 
dislodgment, none of the veteran troops were 
detailed for that duty. 

As the troops moved along the road they 
would become aware that an engagement was 
taking place at some distant point ahead by the 
dull roar or growl of the artillery. This sound 
became more pronounced as they advanced, until 
the sharp crack of the Napoleons and sound of 
bursting shells became more distinct. If the 
resistance proved to be so stubborn that the 
available cavalry were not in sufficient force 
to overcome it, the column would come to a 
halt, while an infantry force strong enough to 
effect the object would be sent forward. These 
troops were always taken from the new regi- 
ments. On such occasions they were seldom 
if ever actually engaged, for by the time they 
were deployed and arrangements completed for 
the attack the enemy would generally move 
away to repeat the operation at the next 
favorable position found on their line of march. 
Thus, the recruits were made to believe that 
they had been in battle and had been vic- 
torious, though escaping without injury. This 



260 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

use of the new regiments was most satisfactory 
to the veterans. The boys who were not " sent 
in" had a rest, and what some of them liked 
still better, an opportunity to ironically praise 
the new men, who, moving past the line of 
resting veterans by the roadside, received an 
abundance of gratuitous advice as to their 
actions when they should strike the enemy, also 
very circumstantial accounts of what was tak- 
ing place at the front; the force of the enemy, 
what troops had just been repulsed, the number 
of killed, etc., etc., all being purely imaginary, 
and done for the purpose of frightening the 
recruits. All this was regarded as immensely 
funny by the veterans. When Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Kimball became aware of this practice, 
however, he at once put a stop to it, and 
severely lectured the men for their thoughtless- 
ness. 

The advance was now taken by the division 
to which the Ninth belonged (General Rod- 
man's) which descended the ridge, crossed the 
bridge, and when within half a mile of the out- 
skirts of Frederick, filed to the left until the 
whole command reached the open fields across 
the railroad, and moved in line by brigades, 
over fences and through the tall corn, where the 
alignment could only be maintained by observ- 
ing the tops of the numerous colors, the men 



FREDERICK CITY'S WELCOME. 261 

jumping all obstacles and smashing down the 
fences with the butts of their muskets. 

The advance, composed of cavalry and light 
artillery, was busily engaged with the enemy. 
Sharp skirmishing was taking place in the 
streets, the fighting continuing through and 
beyond the city until night and darkness 
caused a cessation. Troops poured into the 
city from all the roads east and south, and the 
"Ninth" pitched its camp upon the rocky 
bluff overlooking the railroad near the depot. 
It was a night of the wildest excitement in 
Frederick, the streets being crowded with 
citizens who in every way displayed their 
loyalty and loudly welcomed the brave veterans 
who so hurriedly rushed to their protection. 
And it was a night ever to be remembered by 
the tired and footsore troops. To those fortu- 
nate enough to obtain passes into the city and 
who were not too weary to leave their bivouac, 
a scene was presented which is seldom wit- 
nessed even by soldiers of a victorious army. 

Every house was illuminated, as though for 
a victory, the streets crowded with citizens 
eager to welcome the soldiers of the grand 
old Army of the Potomac, while refreshments 
were offered to the men from every door- 
step, trays and baskets of food, water, lemon- 
ade, and other and more enticing drinks were 



262 NIN'IH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

forced upon the soldiers on every side. All 
residences were wide open to any one in uni- 
form who cared to accept an invitation to 
enter, and many a travel-stained and weather- 
beaten soldier enjoyed that night the only oc- 
casion of real, civilized, social entertainment 
which had fallen to his lot since leaving his 
northern home. Among the belated members 
of the regiment returning to camp in the " wee 
sma' hours," after reluctantly leaving their 
hospitable entertainers, were Lieutenants Bar- 
nett and Horner. They were so fortunate as 
to discover a fire which had broken out 
in the jail and threatened a serious confla- 
gration. It was thought probable that the 
fire might have been started by sympathizers 
or emissaries of the enemy who had just 
been driven out, for the purpose of throwing 
the city into confusion, and enabling them to 
further some scheme which would tend to seri- 
ously injure the Union cause. Barnett hur- 
ried to camp to report the matter to Kim- 
ball, while Horner hastened to the jail to 
render any help possible, pending the 
arrival of reinforcements, and to release 
and afterward prevent the escape of the large 
number of prisoners there confined. Colonel 
Kimball at once dispatched three companies to 
the scene under Captain Barnett, and they 



FIGHTING THE REAR GUARD. 263 

arrived about the time that Horner and the 
jailer had succeeded in opening all the cell 
doors and were driving the confused and 
frightened prisoners into the jail yard. 

The wall surrounding the yard was quickly 
mounted by the Zouaves, which point of vantage 
enabled them to keep the prisoners under con- 
trol while the troops were fighting the flames 
and sentinels were being posted around the 
vicinity of the jail. 

No hostile demonstrations were made by 
either rebel sympathizers or the lawless ele- 
ment and after a while a regular regiment re- 
lieved the boys of the Ninth, who reached their 
camp about daybreak. Hardly had they turned 
in when reveille sounded, and for once the 
order to "fall in" was not obeyed with their 
accustomed alacrity. Almost as soon as coffee 
had been prepared and disposed of the Ninth 
was ordered out to the support of " Rush's 
Lancers " who, striving to drive back the rebel 
rear guard, found a detachment of them so 
strongly posted that infantry was required to 
dislodge them. Marching rapidly toward Jef- 
erson the regiment reached the place where 
the Lancers were engaged. The enemy had 
a mountain howitzer in the road which led 
up to the hill in front, but the supporting 
force was unknown. 



264 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Companies C, H and I were sent to the right 
and Company B to the left of the road and 
deployed as skirmishers, the remainder of the 
regiment being held in reserve. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball's dispositions of 
the regiment were so quickly made, and the 
advance began so promptly that the enemy's 
evident intention to fall back leisurely was 
rudely interrupted. Two detachments of their 
rear guard were struck so suddenly that they 
were scattered before either could return a shot, 
while some of them were wounded. One 
sharpshooter who failed to obey the scriptural 
injunction, " Stand not upon the order of your 
going," etc., was discovered by private Sam 
March of Company I, trying to conceal himself 
in a tree where he had taken position and was 
captured. It is not probable that this detach- 
ment intended to seriously resist infantry. They 
simply opposed the cavalry to gain time for 
their forces to get farther away, thinking to es- 
cape easily themselves and without loss, as soon 
as the infantry arrived within striking distance. 

From the summit of the ridge, over which 
a portion of the regiment now passed in 
skirmishing order, the whole valley stretching 
away to South Mountain lay exposed like 
a vast painted canvas. Far to the north- 
ward the village of Middletown was in flames. 



TWO ARMIES IN SIGHT. 265 



At several points along the foot of the opposite 
ridge batteries were spewing out little clouds 
of curling smoke, pierced by angry tongues of 
fire. Cavalry troops were dashing here and 
there, the infantry more slowly but deliberately 
advancing or retreating, and artillery hurrying 
to some new point of vantage. On this im- 
mense stage the drama of war was being en- 
acted on a gigantic scale. In many a soldier's 
breast as he gazed on the scene were mingled 
the emotions of hatred, ambition and sorrow at 
the startling and impressive sight. Hatred for 
the offending foe, ambition to subdue him, and 
sorrow that men should have found it necessary 
to take each other's lives to establish a principle. 

But little time was given to philosophizing. 
The various companies of the regiment, includ- 
ing the battery reassembled on a road on the 
farther side of the ridge and marched rapidly 
toward the village of Jefferson or Jeffersonville. 
Fearing to be outflanked the enemy fell back, 
withdrawing the howitzer, while the Ninth 
eagerly pursued, but without avail, as the John- 
nies were too fleet. 

Arriving at Jefferson, arms were stacked in 
the street, pickets thrown out, and the in- 
habitants regaled the Zouaves with food of 
various kinds, which was eagerly devoured by 
the half-famished men. Officers and men took 



266 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

advantage of an opportunity to rest, and in a 
few moments nearly all were sleeping by the 
roadside. 

During the whole afternoon cannonading 
could be plainly heard from the direction of 
Harper's Ferry, where Jackson was then mak- 
ing his attack. The deep boom of the big 
guns and the sharper crack of the smaller 
ones was remarkably distinct, and as the men 
awoke and were on the quivive, they in im- 
agination followed the fortunes of the battle 
raging a few miles distant. While the Ninth 
was still awaiting orders General Franklin's 
command arrived and passed through the vil- 
lage in the direction of the firing. They were 
a most dilapidated looking lot, ragged and 
weather-beaten, and had evidently seen some 
pretty hard marching recently. From the leis- 
urely way in which they marched it was plain 
that like the Ninth they were not under orders 
for Harper's Ferry, where the battle was still 
raging. An officer — said to be General Frank- 
lin — and his staff, dismounted, procured some 
refreshments, and seating themselves on the 
porch of a house, ate with great deliberation. 

All subordinates in the army of whatever 
rank are well aware that there are superiors 
in abundance to do the thinking, and the 
rank and file are not presumed to exercise 



THE RETURN TO FREDERICK. 267 

their brains on any subject or to contem- 
plate any time beyond the present. Still men 
of inferior rank, however lowly, have their 
own ideas and will cogitate over them, and 
during this period of rest at Jeffersonville 
there were many who thought it would be more 
pertinent to the occasion to move forward and 
create a diversion in favor of the men ahead 
who were fighting for their lives, rather than 
that thousands of men should stand listlessly 
hearkening to the cannonading at the Ferry, 
whose increasing volume 'plainly told them, 
which afterward proved to be correct, that their 
comrades were in sore need of assistance. 

About 6 p.m., all pickets were drawn in, with 
the exception of Sergeant Jackson, who was 
accidentally left on post with his men, but 
who fortunately succeeded in joining the 
regiment later, and the regiment started on 
its return to Frederick, which was reached 
before midnight, after a march of twenty- 
five miles. This was one of the most 
fatiguing marches the men had been called 
upon to make, not so much because of distance 
covered, as of their exhausted condition conse- 
quent upon the amount of labor they had been 
called upon to perform in the preceding forty- 
eight hours. On the 12th they had been in 
line of battle the greater part of the day, leav- 



268 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

ing the roads and advancing across country 
through field and wood, plowed land and 
meadow, which is the hardest kind of work 
entailed on the soldier, heavily weighted as he 
is with musket and equipments. 

Night had fallen when the regiment left 
Jeffersonville, and all passed pleasantly for a 
time. The men sung their customary march- 
ing songs and the woods rang with the cho- 
ruses. With the intention of making the march 
as easy as possible Colonel Kimball halted the 
column for a rest, at the most inopportune time, 
which proved to be unfortunate. The regi- 
ment had moved leisurely out of the village 
towards camp and the men had "limbered up" 
nicely and were in good marching condition 
and could have continued to Frederick in 
fairly good shape with little or no rest, but now 
the long halt which followed induced them 
to fall asleep. When the bugle sounded 
" forward " the boys were stiff and sore, and 
slowly responded to the call. 

There was no more singing, no more con- 
versation in the ranks. Each man felt fagged 
out, but doggedly plodded onward over the 
apparently endless road having no further desire 
for even a temporary rest. The only wish or 
thought was how to get through and reach the 
objective point in the shortest time possible, 



THE START FOR SOUTH MOUNTAIN. 269 

knowing there would then be an opportunity 
to obtain the much required sleep. After what 
seemed like hours of marching the regiment 
reached Frederick, and proceeded haltingly 
and painfully through the silent and de- 
serted streets and at last arrived at the old 
camp. Throwing themselves on the hard earth 
the tired men enjoyed that sweet rest which the 
worn and footsore soldier can so well appreci- 
ate. Orders had been given to move at 3 a.m., 
and it seemed as though they had scarcely 
rolled themselves in their blankets ere the 
order came to " fall in," which was obeyed with 
the greatest reluctance, and without the accus- 
tomed promptness. Passing out of the city on 
the way to Fairville and Jerusalem, they arrived 
at Middletown at about 10 a.m. There the 
" Ninth" came to a halt after a rapid march of 
seven hours. Every appearance tended to im- 
press the observer with the belief that a battle 
was near. The regiment, which had evidently 
been started prematurely in the early morning, 
was marched into a field by the roadside with 
orders to "halt" and "rest." All felt that they 
were only waiting their turn to " go in " as the 
cannonading in front of them was increasing 
every moment. Brigades, divisions and corps 
which probably had remained in bivouac until 
after daybreak, streamed past to the front, while 



270 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the Ninth waited by the roadside. It was 
evidently clear that their corps was not to be 
utilized until these other troops should reach 
their positions. 

The battle of South Mountain had opened 
and troops were being hurried forward to 
the front while the Ninth was ordered to 
rest. All hands were soon sound asleep, and 
continued so until 2 p.m., when, after a cup of 
good coffee they were ordered forward in the 
direction of the firing which had become ex- 
ceedingly brisk. Fording a small stream at the 
foot of South Mountain they filed into a 
narrow and rocky road leading to the summit, 
and while passing up the steep ascent met a 
stream of wounded men being transported 
rapidly to the rear. Working their way steadily 
up the mountain and also moving obliquely to 
the left to extend the line in that direction, they 
met with little opposition until nearing the 
position assigned them, when suddenly a rebel 
battery opened fire most vigorously. This 
did not check them in the least or cause any 
damage, the battery being situated so far above 
them on the top of the mountain that the enemy 
was unable to depress his guns to any marked 
degree but was obliged to fire straight ahead 
out into the " wide world," the shells exploding 
so far above the regiment that few casualties 



REPULSING A CHARGE. 271 

resulted. The firing ceased shortly after and 
the position was gained without further oppo- 
sition. 

This cessation it was afterward learned was 
due to a charge made by an Ohio Brigade (the 
nth, 12th, and 23d Regiments), which com- 
pelled the battery to limber up and hastily 
withdraw and also temporarily clearing that part 
of the line of the rebel infantry. 

Battery E, 4th U. S. Artillery, occupied the 
position vacated by the rebel battery, and the 
" Ninth" moved into line to its support. 

Being on the extreme left of the army, the 
brigade was formed like the letter L, the Ninth 
being the base line, while the 103d and 89th New 
York were formed at right angles to it, extend- 
ing toward the rear. The battery faced down 
the line towards the left. The Ninth and 
103d, with about two companies of the 89th, 
had arrived on the line when the enemy, who 
were concealed in a close thicket of laurel on 
the west slope of the mountain, suddenly dashed 
from their cover, and made an impetuous 
charge on the battery, yelling and discharging 
their muskets as soon as the forces were 
sighted. Without hesitation Colonel Kimball 
gave the order: "Right wing, attention ! Fix 
bayonets! By the right flank by file left, double 
quick. March !" and led the way through 



272 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and between guns and limbers into the thick 
brush on the right of the battery beyond the 
view of the remainder of the regiment, to a 
position where he could strike the flank of the 
charging rebels. Meanwhile the battery was 
firing double charges of canister at point blank 
range, the enemy being so close that it was 
unnecessary to aim but simply point the guns 
after each discharge. The 103d after a mo- 
mentary unsteadiness, stood up to the work 
like good fellows, firing volley after volley, 
while the two companies of the 89th opened a 
steady, well-directed fire, the other companies 
joining in as each arrived on the line, the entire 
movement being as coolly and methodically 
performed as though on drill in winter camp. 

At this point an incident occurred which will 
illustrate the coolness under fire of Major 
Jardine who temporarily commanded the 89th 
New York. 

Shortly after the Ninth relieved the Ohio 
Brigade on the summit of the mountain, the 
left of the regiment being close to the battery, 
and the 89th following by the flank up the 
steep ascent, the sudden and unexpected dash 
of the enemy was so unlooked for that for an 
instant there was a halt in that part of the 89th 
not yet on the line, when Major Jardine sprang 
upon a stone wall on the left of the Ninth and 



JARDINE' S COOLNESS UNDER FIRE. 273 

running diagonally toward it (the 89th) cried 
out: "Eighty-ninth New York, what in h — 1 
are you about? Continue the movement!" In 
the meantime the battery men had picked 
themselves up from the grass and made their 
guns talk with grape and canister. Although 
the regiment had orders not to fire without 
command, Corporal Charles Curie, of Company 
C, acting sergeant and left-general guide, 
cocked his musket to await orders to fire, when 
Jardine, hearing the lock click, turned toward 
him, and said to Curie: " Put down that hammer. 
You know what the orders are. We want to 
meet the charge with the bayonet. You ought 
to be promoted for that." 

Major Jardine then jumped down from the 
wall and resumed command of the 89th, which 
he retained until after the battle of Antietam. 
He was subsequently presented by the officers 
of that regiment with a magnificent gold medal 
in appreciation of his meritorious services 
during the campaign. 

For a moment bullets seemed to fill the air 
and matters assumed a serious aspect, but the 
supporting line stood firm and poured in such 
withering volleys that the enemy recoiled and 
fell back suffering great loss. 

As darkness set in the Ninth was detailed 
for picket duty, and that night guarded the ex- 



274 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

treme left of the army. The howitzer battery 
of Company K was in reserve, supported by 
several companies to enfilade any attacking 
party who might attempt to surprise the picket 
line. General Reno's command kept up a con- 
tinuous fire with the enemy in his front for 
some two hours after dark, but on the left all 
was comparatively quiet throughout the night. 
Among the drummer boys who enlisted in 
the regiment at its organization was J. C. Julius 
Langbein. Although but thirteen years of age 
he was bright, intelligent and manly, but so 
smalt in stature and so feminine in looks that 
he could easily have passed as a girl. He at 
once received the sobriquet of "Jennie" from 
all the men, which name clung to him during 
his term of service and for years afterward. It 
may prove of interest to here produce part of a 
letter written by one of the wounded officers of 
the regiment to ist Sergeant Green, of Com- 
pany F, relating an incident which occurred 
during this battle — Company F being then de- 
tached from the regiment on garrison duty at 
Plymouth, N. C. : 

New York, December 3rd, 1862. 

"My Dear Jack: * * * Now, Jack I must tell you of my 
experience with ' Jennie ' the drummer, during this fight. 

Just as we were coming on to the line I noticed that he was with 
my company and was keeping pretty close to me. There was no firing 
on our part of the line just at the time. I noticed the boy particularly 
as it was such an unusual circumstance to see him away from his own 
company that I was obliged to. 



KEEPING HIS EYE ON THE LIEUTENANT. 275 

He stood around while the brigade was forming and when the 
rebels burst out of the woods, and we were ordered to lie down 
temporarily, he squatted down right beside me. Of course, I was all 
alive to catch any order that might come from ' the old man,' but I saw 
what was going on all the same. 

About the time the rebel yell began to change its tone a little and 
their fire slackened up, Jennie very deliberately straightened up and 
looked all around surveying the situation. Saying to him pretty 
sharp, ' Sit down you d — d little fool, you'll get your head knocked off,' 
he looked at me with a kind of queer expression, hitched up his 
trousers and with the reply, 'that's what I came here for,' walked 
off towards the left where most of the firing was. 

After the rebels had been repulsed and things quieted down, he 
drifted back to my vicinity again. It was getting quite dark by this 
time, so dark that we could see the fire pour out of the muzzles of the 
guns and spatter like melted metal as it struck the ground. As soon 
as the firing had entirely ceased we sat down — tired, hungry and 
cold — and were exchanging confidences in relation to cur respective 
condition of emptiness, when one of the sergeants of the battery 
brought us something to eat and also blankets to sleep under. After 
eating and chatting for some time— Sullivan his name was ; E. of the 
4th U. S. Artillery — we rolled ourselves in his blankets, and I, at least, 
tried to sleep. All this time the heaviest kind of a musketry fire — the 
heaviest and steadiest I ever heard— was being kept up on our right 
where our center was forcing its way up the mountain. At that time 
our line was like a bow with the concave side toward the enemy. I 
was in such a condition of nervousness, owing to the lack of grub and 
the mental and physical strain of the three preceding days, that I could 
not get to sleep at once, but I tried to rest and lay quiet so as not to 
disturb 'Jennie' should he be asleep. 

After lying quietly for a time he raised himself to a sitting posi- 
tion and after appearing to listen to the musketry for a while, said 
quietly: 'Are you asleep, Lieutenant?' I answered that I was not 
asleep; ' That's an awful heavy fire, Lieutenant,* he said, ' but I think 
the boys are driving them. It appears to be coming up the hill.' Then 
he heaved a deep sigh and lay down. He repeated this performance 
several times before I dropped off to sleep. In the morning he rolled 
up the blankets, took them over to the sergeant, and I suppose went 
to his company, as I saw him only once again during the day, when he 
came to tell me that the ' mess ' had something to eat and that I had 
better get up toward the right where it was or it would be all gone. 

Now Jack, I would like to know what you think of that for a fourteen 
year old drummer boy. I thought the thing over a good deal after I 
was wounded and I had nothing else to do but think, and I honestly 
think that boy believed it his duty, inasmuch as I was only a second 



276 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

lieutenant and was for the first time in command of a company in 
action, to keep his eye on me and see that I did not go wrong or do 
anything to bring discredit on the regiment. He was apparently 
satisfied with the way I behaved myself during the fight and went 
back to his own company with the consciousness that he could trust me 
to do what was right. 

In my next I will tell you something about the big battle, Antietam. 

Remember me to Captain Flusser and also to Captain Hammill and 
Lieutenant Perley. 

Yours sincerely, " 

The next day the Ninth was relieved and 
placed in reserve for a much needed rest. There 
were no rations obtainable, the wagon trains 
were not permitted to come forward among the 
moving troops on the roads and the men were 
forced to forage in the potato and cornfields, 
which had previously been visited by the rebels, 
consequently the supply obtained from these 
sources was decidedly slim. 

About 5 p.m., on the 15th, the regiment was 
ordered forward, and before moving down the 
western slope of the mountain came upon the 
scene of the previous day's heaviest fighting. 
The result of battle was here visible in all its 
ghastly horror. 

The enemy's dead were so numerous that at 
one point — a sunken road where they had 
made a determined stand — their bodies had to 
be removed from the road to make a passage- 
way for the troops. They were piled in heaps 
on either side. Their limbs contorted and 
their faces black as negroes, presenting a most 



DEATH OF GENERAL RENO. 277 

horrible sight. It was near here about sunset 
that the lamented Reno lost his life while 
supervising his lines. He was in all respects 
a most admirable officer and his untimely de- 
cease was regretted by the entire army. 

There seems to be some uncertainty as to 
the manner of his death, some persons assert- 
ing that he was picked off by a rebel sharp- 
shooter, while at the present date (1899) others 
as positively assert that he met his death in a 
manner similar to that of " Stonewall " Jackson 
— was mortally wounded by his own men. In 
the gathering darkness, and being at the ex- 
treme front to assure himself that his lines were 
correct, he is said to have been mistaken for an 
enemy. To signify the high estimation in 
which the General was held by his superiors, we 
quote a well deserved tribute to his memory, in 
an article on "The Second Bull Run," written 
by Major-General Pope for the Century Maga- 
zine : 

" I rode along the front of our line, and gave the same information 
to Heintzleman and Reno. I shall not soon forget the bright and con- 
fident face and the alert and hearty manner of that most accomplished 
and loyal soldier, Gen. J. L. Reno. From first to last in this campaign 
he was always cheerful and ready ; anxious to anticipate, if possible, 
and prompt to execute with all his might the orders received. 

"He was short in stature and upright in person, and with a face and 
manner so bright and engaging at all times, but most especially 
noticeable in the fury of battle, that it was both a pleasure and a com- 
fort to see him. In his death, two weeks afterward, during the battle 
of South Mountain, when he led his troops with his usual gallantry 
and daring, the Government lost one of its best and most promising 



278 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

officers. Had he lived to see the end of the war, he would undoubt- 
edly have attained one of the highest, if not the very highest position 
in the army. 

" His superior abilities were unquestioned, and if he lacked one 
single element that goes to make a perfect soldier, certainly it was not 
discovered before his death." 

General Cox in his report, says : 

" A 'little before sunset Reno came up in person, anxious to know 
why the right could not get forward quite to the summit. After a few 
moments' conversation with me he passed on to Sturgis. It seemed 
to me hejwas hardly gone before he was brought back upon a stretcher, 
dead. He had gone to the skirmish line to examine for himself the 
situation there, and had been shot down by the enemy posted among 
the rocks and trees." 

The 9th Corps followed hotly on the rear 
of the flying enemy, crossing Little Antietam 
Creek near Keedysville, and fording another 
small stream near Locust Spring. 

It was now nearly 1 1 o'clock, and the men 
were thoroughly exhausted by the severe 
marches of the past week, and were delighted 
to hear the command "Halt!" given for the 
night. Stopping at the foot of Red Hill, they 
threw themselves on the ground, too fatigued 
to put up any shelter, and awaited the forth- 
coming of rations, but were again disappointed, 
as no wagons could be found, and they passed 
another night nearly famished. 

About 8 a.m., of the 16th, the rebels opened 
their batteries upon the Union forces, who re- 
plied spiritedly until 1 1 o'clock, when the 
enemy retired. 

The position of the bivouac occupied by the 



GETTING INTO LINE OF BATTLE. <2.1<d 

Division, appeared to be in the rear of Hooker 
and the rest of the right wing of the army. At 
frequent intervals during the greater portion of 
the day the latter were hotly engaged with the 
enemy. 

At 5 p.m., the regiment was ordered forward, 
and reaching the line of battle already forming 
in front of the enemy, were moved by General 
Rodman to the left, and soon after dark arrived 
at the extreme left of the army. 

The night was very dark, and the flank was 
still further extended by a staff officer, the 
greatest caution being observed as they ad- 
vanced — absolute silence being preserved — the 
other regiments of the brigade moving in a 
similar manner, but more to the rear, forming a 
kind of echelon by the flank on the " Ninth." 
While passing through a cornfield the heavy 
tramp of men was heard coming down the hill 
to the left of the Ninth, and they prepared to 
meet the enemy. 

" Fix bayonets ! " commanded Kimball. It 
was instantly executed, and the men firmly 
faced the expected attack, while General Rod- 
man rushed forward to assume charge of the 
threatened assault. The command " Halt ! " 
was several times repeated and heard above 
the noise made by the approach of the sup- 
posed enemy, then all became quiet. A few 
paces distant the Zouaves were met by the 



280 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

103rd New York, who, if they had continued to 
advance a moment longer would have received 
a volley from the regiment, and a terrible 
slaughter would have resulted. The Zouaves 
again moved ahead, a detail from Company B 
feeling the ground in advance, and on reaching 
the position selected, halted and lay down. 
The battery of Company K was divided — three 
guns, under command of Captain Whiting, 
being placed on the right of the brigade, the re- 
maining ones on the left, under Lieutenant 
Morris. The orders to Captain Whiting were, 
if attacked by infantry to open fire at once, but 
if by artillery only, to remain silent. 

The brigade was still on the extreme left of 
the army, and, from the nature of the ground 
and the conditions under which the dispositions 
for battle were made, was the last one to arrive 
at its designated position in the line; conse- 
quently it was long after dark before its march- 
ings, manoeuvres and changes of positions came 
to an end, and the tired men were permitted to 
lie down and seek what rest was possible to 
prepare them for the pending battle of the 
morrow. 

The subsequent events of " the bloodiest 
battle of the war " can best be described by 
quoting a letter written to Colonel Hawkins, at 
his request, by Lieut. Matthew J. Graham, on 
September 27th, 1894. 



CHAPTER X. 

LIEUTENANT GRAHAM'S LETTER DESCRIPTIVE OF THE 
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM — ATTACK ON THE STONE 
WALL — GREAT BRAVERY OF THE TROOPS — OR- 
DERED TO RETIRE AND LIEUTENANT-COLONEL 
KIMBALL'S PROTEST -GENERAL WILCOX IN PERSON 
PEREMPTORILY ORDERS KIMBALL TO FALL BACK 
— ASSISTANCE TO THE WOUNDED — McCLELLAN'S, 
BURNSIDE'S, FAIRCHILD'S, AND KIMBALL'S RE- 
PORTS—MR. KIRKLEY'S STATEMENTS OF TOTAL 
KILLED IN THE CIVIL WAR, AND PROPORTION OF 
WOUNDED TO KILLED — GENERAL LONGSTREET'S 
COMMENTS ON THE BATTLE AND COMPARISON 
WITH OTHER NOTABLE ENGAGEMENTS — PERCENT- 
AGE OF REGIMENTAL AND BRIGADE LOSS OF THE 
NINTH REGIMENT. 

New York, September 27, 1894. 
Colonel Rush C. Hawkins. 

MY Dear Colonel: — In response to your 
suggestion offered at the meeting of the 
Association on the 24th inst, I will try to write 
down my recollections of the movements of, 
and the various positions occupied by our regi- 
ment, the Ninth New York Volunteers (Haw- 
kins' Zouaves), just prior to, and during the 
Battle of Antietam, on the night of the 16th 
and the day of the 17th of September, 1862. 
Thirty-two years is a long time to look back. 



282 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Particularly is this so if one indulges in reminis- 
cences which require the element of accuracy. 
But I think it will not be necessary for me to try 
to recall any of the principal happenings of that 
time; — of that day particularly. What I write 
will be, I think, merely a statement of what I 
saw on the evening preceding, and on the day 
of the battle; — incidents which were impressed 
on my mind then, and which have been vividly 
in view of my memory ever since. In doing 
this I may fall into error; I may transpose 
actions and incidents; but I shall strive to avoid 
these, giving due consideration to the fact that 
when talking over these matters with other 
members of the regiment, I frequently find that 
their recollections and mine do not always 
agree. 

The last movement which the regiment made 
on the evening of the 16th toward the perfecting 
of the line of battle, was after dark — in almost 
absolute darkness. The sky was cloudy, and 
the air charged with moisture — a heavy mist, 
or, more properly, a light drizzle — not fog. We 
were extending the line toward the left. It 
was too dark to see either one's comrades, the 
bushes through which we forced our way, or 
the stumps and inequalities of the ground over 
which we stumbled. The movement completed, 
we halted and lay down, as we had stood, in 
line. 



THE POSITION AS SEEN AT DA YBREAK. 283 

Only a short time before this I had appeased 
my hunger with a conglomeration of stuff, the 
chief ingredient of which was green 'corn — a 
tomato can nearly full of it — which had been 
prepared and given me by Dick Rivers (who 
has since gone to his reward), and conse- 
quently, or otherwise, I slept the sleep of the 
just. I was awakened in the morning at early 
daylight by one of the sergeants, who informed 
me that the enemy were about to open fire 
on us. 

Upon looking about me I found we were in 
a cornfield, the ground behind us rising gradu- 
ally until it formed a considerable ridge. It 
was timbered, but not thickly, from within a 
few paces in rear of our line back as far as I 
could see from our position. The field sloped 
very gradually from our front until it ended in 
bushes, and in what appeared to be swampy 
ground ; beyond that toward the front the hills 
were quite high and appeared to be very steep 
and bluffy. 

I do not know of a person now living who 
could give a better description of the ground 
where we bivouacked than Lieutenant Horner. 
He was officer of the guard that night, and, 
therefore, had better facilities for observing 
than any of us ; and this is equally true con- 
cerning our movements on the day of the 



284 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

battle. Circumstances made it necessary to 
detail him as acting adjutant, but while he had 
an excellent chance to observe the nature of the 
ground, I think he had neither the time nor the 
inclination to dwell much on the beauties of 
nature. The ground over which the regiment 
advanced that day was not a path of roses. 

There was considerable activity among some 
men in grey on the top of one of the hills in 
our front. They were apparently shoveling 
and leveling the ground. My impression was 
that they were preparing a place for their 
battery to stand ; that they had gotten their 
guns up there and were obliged to prepare a 
platform or level space for them so that the 
recoil would not force them down the hill. 

On our right also the hills were quite abrupt. 
One spur which attracted my notice was thrust 
boldly and precipitously out into the low land. 
On our left the land was considerably elevated, 
but the hills were not so steep. Down in the 
swamp, or what I thought was a swamp, there 
was a little scattering picket firing. From the 
general appearance of the ground in our imme- 
diate front I was sure there was a stream near, 
but did not suppose for a moment that it was 
between us and the hill from which the enemy 
were preparing to open fire on us. The ground 
in our front looked to be impassable by reason 



THE ENEMY OPENS FIRE. 285 

of its apparent swampy nature. It did not 
occur to me that the Antietam was no near, 
and I am still inclined to the opinion that the 
men in grey with the battery were on our side 
of the creek. They finally got their guns fixed 
to their satisfaction and fired one shell as a 
trier. It struck and exploded in the spur on 
our right front which I mentioned above. This 
spur may have covered our right wing. When 
the shell exploded there was a general laugh 
along my part of the line at the bad shot. 
Another shot followed in a moment or two 
which was better, but still did no damage. A 
third shot was right — the pieces falling right 
among us. When the men in grey saw the 
effect of this shot they opened fire in such a 
furious style as to give the impression that they 
had a dozen guns there, and every shell seemed 
to land in or near our line. At this time the 
regiment had not been called to attention. The 
men formed in line instinctively and awaited 
orders. Colonel Kimball came up from the 
left, followed by Captain Barnett. The Colonel 
gave the command : " By the right of companies 
to the rear!" 

Some of the men with whom I have talked 
about that particular movement insist that we 
were then in the line faced to the rear. I re- 
membered that on the previous evening we 



286 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

extended our line to the left. In the morning 
we faced toward the place where the enemy 
should be — that is, faced to the right from the 
direction we had been marching the night be- 
fore. At the above command I put myself on 
the right of my company, where I found Ser- 
geant Forbes, and broke by files to the rear. 
While moving to the rear, perpendicular to our 
line of battle, I spoke to Captain Childs, who 
was toward my right, to the right of my com- 
pany as I was then moving, and who was 
leaning against a tree, wounded. I said to 
him : " Get on the other side of the tree, Cap- 
tain ; get to leeward." My company was be- 
tween "E" and "G" that day; Libaire on my 
right and Childs on my left. At the same time 
I remember that Captain Barnett came from 
toward the left of the regiment — the then left. 
He commanded the company on the right 
flank of the regiment Also, that when we 
made our next forward movement we were 
followed by the 103d; not preceded by them. 
I am inclined to think that we were a little 
mixed as to formation. 

At the command march we moved directly 
to the rear into the woods, up the slope of the 
ridge, and after we had passed out of sight of 
the enemy, they did not appear to be able to 
find us with their shells, and after a few 
moments they ceased firing. 



EXTENDING THE LINE TOWARD THE LEFT. 287 

A number of our men were hit before and 
during the execution of this crawfish move- 
ment, but the exact number I do not know. 
We had coffee there on the ridge in the woods. 
There were some farm out-buildings and a 
barnyard there but I do not remember that 
there was a dwelling house. We shortly after- 
word moved forward, out of the woods, on to 
an open grassy slope, starting in a direction as 
though to continue our line to the left, but 
gradually swinging around toward the right, 
until at last we were moving in a direction 
perpendicular to our line of battle of the morn- 
ing. This movement was made in echelon by 
companies or divisions, the 103d following us, 
Kimball and Ringold riding together part of 
the way in front of our regiment. While 
moving across this sloping meadow we passed 
our battery, or a part of it. They were "in 
battery " farther to our left, and were occasion- 
ally firing a shot. They moved off further 
to our left as we went forward, and again 
went " in action," still in plain sight. I do not 
recall seeing either Whiting or Morris with the 
battery. I saw only Shields, and I think that 
is why I had the impression that I saw only 
part of it* 

*0n the night before the battle the battery had been divided, part of 
it being placed on the right of the brigade and the remainder on the 
left. 



288 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

We ended our forward movement rieht at 
the edge of the bluff, the creek being below 
some distance, and the face of the bluff being 
very steep. The ground w T as high enough to 
give us an extensive view of a stretch of 
country toward our front and right, including 
much of the battlefield. I could see no lines or 
masses of troops anywhere; some of the rebel 
batteries, however, were in full view in front of 
us and on our right. Farther toward our right, 
above the bushes and over the cornfields, we 
could see the light musketry smoke drifting, 
which seemed to indicate heavy infantry fighting 
there. The air was very still, and great piles 
of white smoke, like clouds, hung over and 
around the batteries, both the enemy's and our 
own. We occasionally saw groups of men, 
officers we took them to be, both mounted and 
on foot, moving about on the other side of the 
creek. Once a skirmish line appeared moving 
directly toward the stream, our battery fired 
one shot at them and they disappeared — into 
the earth, it seemed, as I did not see them 
afterward. 

General Rodman joined us here. 

I had a glass and noted everything carefully 
which took place within my circle of vision. 
While we stood here the movement on the 
bridge was made, I think by our second divi- 



THE CHARGE ON THE BRIDGE. 289 

sion. I could not see it all, as the country 
was timbered in places, which hid the move- 
ments of the troops. I don't remember seeing 
the bridge at all. I saw the troops moving 
down the hill ; saw them once or twice break 
up and scatter and reform again and advance 
but did not know just what was going on until 
I noticed that some of the figures on the ground, 
who did not scatter with the rest, were lying 
with their heads down hill. I then realized 
that they were dead, and that the movements 
which I had been watching were charges. All 
this time, while we were standing on the bluff, 
we were not disturbed. We stood up in line 
of battle ; there was no hostile demonstration 
whatever made against us; not a shot of any 
kind was fired at us; there were "none to 
molest us or make us afraid." 

Then came the crossing of the creek. We 
marched by the left flank down what appeared 
to be an old wood-road, and filed to the rieht 
at the edge of the stream. I do not remember 
how deep it was, but it was quite an effort to 
stem the current. When partly across we re- 
ceived the fire of a detachment which was 
stationed behind a wall at the head of a ravine 
which opened up from the water towards our 
left front. I judge there were about two com- 
panies of infantry of them. Their fire was not 



290 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

very heavy, rather scattering, and we did not 
answer it. One reason was that we would 
have to stop in the stream while firing, and any 
of our men who might be wounded would be 
in great danger of drowning, so we urged the 
men forward and passed the order not to fire. 
I had two men hit here. 

We filed to the right when we reached the 
bank, and were at once out of the fire in the 
shelter of the hills or bluffs. We then faced to 
the left, which brought us by the rear rank into 
line, and marched, or rather climbed, directly 
up the bluff; the ground in front of my com- 
pany was very rough and difficult and also 
very steep. Rodman appeared here again on 
foot and went up with the regiment. At the 
top of the hill we again came in sight of the 
gentlemen who disputed our crossing the ford, 
but thev were not having things so much their 
own way as they had then. A party of our 
troops — I got the impression that they were 
Rhode Island men — were advancing rapidly 
up the ravine, firing as they went. They were 
led by a mounted officer, whom I recognized as 
" Happy " Tom Lyon, a major of a defunct 
rocket battery. He was then serving on Burn- 
side's staff. While our men were advancing 
determinedly and rapidly the Johnnies did not 
seem to keep up as good a fire as they should 



COMPLETING THE MOVEMENT. 291 

have done ; in fact, as I looked at them, just for 
the moment, Burn's lines came into my mind : 

" Their boldest thought 's a hankerin' swither 

To stan' or rin." 

Lyon was doing the military picture act in the 
most approved fashion. I concluded that his 
horse had been wounded, it was plunging so. 

We lay down here and waited for the new 
formation to be completed. The bridge had 
.evidently been carried by this time, as the 
troops were pouring across, some of them 
passing along our rear and extending the line 
to the left. We changed position once or twice 
as the movement approached completion, the 
fire of the enemy's batteries becoming heavier 
and heavier, until finally we had to lie very 
close. 

The eeneral level of the fields from the bank 
of the creek was reached by a succession of 
terraces or benches — say two or three. The 
first rise from the stream might have been fifty 
feet or more ; then, on my part of the line, 
came a level space a few yards wide ; then a 
rise of a few feet, not; over ten ; then a wide 
level space, a hundred paces at least ; then 
another rise, quite steep in places, and high 
enough to elevate us as we lav in line far above 
the heads of the mounted officers who were 
grouped on the next level below us. We lay 



292 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

as near the top of the slope as we could with- 
out actually being on the level ground. On 
our line, between us and the 103d, a battery 
was in action. It was reported along the line, 
though I do not know on what authority, that 
it was Clark's Battery " E," of the 4th U. S. 
Artillery. They did not appear to be able to 
do much in the way of firing, as it seemed to 
me that every time they would get fairly at 
work the rebels would concentrate such a fire 
on them as to silence them ; and the men 
would be obliged to lie down in such shelter 
as they could get until the weight of the 
enemy's fire was directed to another part of 
the line. Their " park " was on this lower 
level before mentioned, and almost in line 
with, and in rear of, the guns, and it caught a 
good deal of the fire that missed the battery. 
The practice of the rebel artillerymen was 
something wonderful in its accuracy; they 
dropped shot and shell right into our line re- 
peatedly. They kept the air fairly filled with 
missiles of almost every variety, from shrapnel 
to railroad iron. The shrapnel or canister was 
very much in evidence. I saw one of our men 
in hospital afterward who had nine gunshot 
wounds in his right arm. I watched solid shot 
— round shot — strike in front of the guns with 
what sounded like an innocent thud, and, 



A HE A VY FIRE. 293 

bounding over battery and park, fly through 
the tree tops, cutting some of them off so sud- 
denly that it seemed to me they lingered for an 
instant undecided which way to fall. These 
round shot did not appear to be in a hurry. 
They came along slowly and deliberately, ap- 
parently, and there appeared no harm in them 
until they hit something. 

As soon as our line was established Colonel 
Kimball ordered Company I out as skirmishers. 
They seemed to be pretty busy for a time, 
judging from the amount of shouting and firing 
in the field in front of the regiment where they 
deployed. This, however, died away gradually 
as the boys pushed farther out and drove the 
enemy's skirmishers before them. 

I was lying on my back, supported on my 
elbows, watching the shells explode overhead 
and speculating as to how long I could hold 
up my finger before it would be shot off, for 
the very air seemed full of bullets, when the 
order to get up was given. I turned over 
quickly to look at Colonel Kimball, who had 
given the order, thinking he had become sud- 
denly insane ; never dreaming that he intended 
to advance in that fire, and firmly believing 
that the regiment would not last one minute 
after the men had got fairly on their feet. Sure 
enough, there was Kimball, looking all right. 



294 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

He repeated the order : " Get up the Ninth ! " 
and, I thought, looked directly at me. We got 
up and went forward, passing at once into a 
cornfield. The fence over which my men were 
swarming was at that moment knocked down 
by a shell. From the cornfield we crossed over 
a meadow, then over a strip of plowed land, 
and then another piece of grass or stubble. 
We halted twice, I think, to rest and dress the 
line, although dressing was not necessary as 
every man was in his place. The loss was 
frightful. I could see the regiment — the line 
— shortening perceptibly as we advanced. We 
could hear the crash of the missiles throuoh the 
ranks, and strange as it may seem, that sound 
brought like a flash to my mind a saying of 
Lannes, when describing the Battle of Auster- 
litz : " I could hear the bones crash in my div- 
ision like glass in a hailstorm." 

The whole regiment behaved magnificently 
throughout. Nothing could be better. The 
advance was over sharp ridges and through the 
intervening hollows for a long way. Although 
just then I was not conscious of either the lapse 
of time or of the distance we were covering, I 
now know that we advanced altogether about 
a mile, and we lost men at almost every step. 
In two or three of the sheltered places, where 
we were partly protected from the enemy's 



KIMBALL'S PRIDE IN THE REGIMENT. 295 

fire by the ground in front, Colonel Kimball, as 
I said before, halted the regiment just for a 
moment to give the men a chance to get their 
breath. During these halts he always remained 
erect, moving up and down the line uttering 
words of encouragement for everybody. To 
the shouts of some of the men of " Get down, 
Colonel !" " Don't expose yourself that way !" 
"Wait 'till we're ready to advance!" etc., he 
would reply : " Don't mind me, boys, I'm all 
right," or, "If you want a safe place stick close 
to me," or some such remark. Meantime he 
was pacing up and down the line rubbing his 
palms together, and clapping his hands at 
intervals to express satisfaction, exclaiming 
repeatedly: " Bully Ninth ! Bully Ninth! Boys, 
I'm proud of you ! every one of you !" During 
one of these momentary halts I glanced back at 
the field we had just crossed and saw it sprink- 
eled all over with our dead and wounded, all 
lying with their heads toward the enemy, 
presenting the appearance of a thin field of 
cornstalks I had seen some place, all rolled 
down to lie in the same direction for conve- 
nience in plowing them under. 

The charge ended, so far as I was concerned, 
in what appeared to be a grand finale. We 
had been advancing over what I remember as 
rolling, but at the same time, rising ground ; 



296 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

we had reached what looked like the summit 
of this particular ridge when we were met by 
what I remember as a crashing volley of mus- 
ketry. We all went down together, although I 
was hit not with a bullet but with a grapeshot. 
The fronts of the companies had by that time 
become so narrow that I found myself right at 
the colors. They did not average, I think, 
above twelve or fifteen men each at that stage. 
When I recovered myself after I fell — that is, 
got into position to see about me, and after the 
men had passed over me, some stumbling over 
and others stepping on me, which occupied but 
a moment, nearly everybody was down on the 
ground. The whole color guard lay prone, the 
colors on the ground. One or two of the men 
staggered to their feet and reached for the flags, 
but were shot down at once. Then there was 
what seemed a spontaneous rush for them by 
a dozen or more men from several companies, 
who were shot down in succession as each one 
raised his flag. One of these whom I noticed 
was Lieutenant Myers, who was hit just as he 
picked up one of them. The flags were up and 
down, up and down, several times in a minute. 
Libaire at last seized one of them, and swing- 
ing it around his head was profane for the first 
and only time, I think, shouting to his com- 
pany, " Up, damm you, and forward ! " I could 



NOT ANXIOUS TO ADVANCE. 297 

see only toward the right of the line as I lay. 
I saw four commissioned officers in front of the 
line. Kimball, Horner, Libaire and McKechnie, 
all shouting forward as the men sprang to their 
feet. McKechnie was on the stone wall with 
his fez on the point of his sword waving his 
men on. 

All this took place in a flash, as it seems to 
me now, and the next minute the regiment was 
gone ; over the wall and out of sight. At that 
time only one non-commissioned officer was 
left in my company — Sergeant Salisbury, who 
assumed command. He also was wounded 
shortly afterward. I was picked up in a few 
moments and carried to the rear by the ambu- 
lance corps men, who happened to be of our 
own regiment. 

I have never known in what formation we 
went forward on that charge ; whether only our 
single brigade in line or a column of brigades ; 
but after going to the rear a short distance we 
met a line of troops, a brigade apparently, in a 
hollow of the ground, but not advancing. I 
learned or guessed, or got the information in 
some way — as one gets it on the field — that 
they were part of Cox's men, Ohio troops. 
Our Adjutant General, Captain Shephard 
{Official John Shephard), was with them. He 
had one of their colors and was trying to 



298 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

induce them to advance. I tried to reinforce 
his efforts with a word or two. I told them the 
fighting was all over; that we had carried 
everything; that they had only to go forward 
and show themselves if they wished to be 
participants in the greatest victory of the war. 
I believed what I said, and I pretended to be 
cheerful, but from the way they looked at me 
I knew they didn't believe a word of it. 

While the general direction in which the men 
carried me was to the rear, still we kept bear- 
ing off toward the left, our left — our backs you 
will remember were now turned to the enemy — 
then following the low ground to keep out of 
the fire. We had gone but a short distance 
when all signs of battle disappeared, except the 
occasional singing of a minnie bullet overhead ; 
we followed down the lowland and came out 
on the road near the head of the bridge with- 
out being aware that we had gone down any 
sensibly steep place or places. After leaving 
the ground which the regiment had gone over, 
we saw no dead or wounded. I spoke to 
Captain Barnett, who was tying up his hand, 
where he had been slightly wounded. I also 
saw "Jennie" the drummer, sitting on the old 
bobtailed sorrel, about half way between the 
place where I was wounded and the bridge. 
On the road near the bridge everything was as 



CONFUSION AT THE BRIDGE. 299 

quiet and serene as a Sabbath morning. Only 
two' or three soldiers were in sight; one of 
them a 79th man, was sauntering along, eating 
an apple and carrying a stretcher on his 
shoulder. He was interviewed at once by my 
bandits and robbed of the stretcher, for my 
benefit. 

This quiet scene into which we entered, on 
the road near the bridge was suddenly and 
without any apparent reason changed into a 
pandemonium. Two or three baggage wagons 
and more than one battery of artillery appeared 
around a turn of the road retreating toward the 
bridge. At the same time the rebels opened 
fire with as much vim and energy as they had 
shown earlier in the day. There was a rush to 
cross, each driver trying to get ahead of all the 
others. They became jammed on the bridge. 
We had to stand aside, of course. Every shell 
seemed to plunge right into the struggling 
mass ; confusion reigned supreme for a few 
moments and, taken all in all, and the fact of 
the batteries being in retreat (although their 
ammunition chests may have been empty) it 
was the most discouraging sight I had seen 
during the day. 

When we got an opportunity we crossed. I 
had suggested — not unselfishly, altogether — to 
the men who were carrying me that they lay 



300 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

me in the ditch and get under cover until 
the fire slackened a little. They declined, in 
forcible language and with much profanity. 
We found that Dr. Humphreys had established 
his hospital within a few paces of the head of 
the bridge. Here was a good deal of con- 
fusion; shell were falling or exploding con- 
stantly ; the wounded were being hit and some 
of them killed every moment. The doctor was 
sending them to the rear as fast as he could get 
ambulances or wagons to carry them. The 
shells and bullets did not seem to enter into 
the doctor's calculations only so far as they 
were injuring his wounded. Personally he 
seemed to treat them with the calmest in- 
difference. He examined my wound and de- 
ciding it would never need any dressing, sent 
me and my stretcher to the rear. We turned 
to the left up the stream, and after a little time 
arrived at Miller's house, where, very much to 
my astonishment then, although I understand 
it now, I found the whole place, house, out- 
houses, orchard, and enclosures of all kinds, 
filled with wounded, and it seemed to me that 
most of them were our own men. I could not 
understand where they came from or how they 
got there. 

Now, Colonel, these are some of the prin- 
cipal things which I remember about the battle 



POSSIBLE ERRORS OF MEMOR Y. 30 1 

of Antietam. I know that the principal thing 
you wished was a topographical description of 
our part of the field. I have done as well as I 
could in that respect. I can see it all very 
plainly, but cannot describe it as I would wish. 
I have been careful in giving the directions in 
which we moved that day. I have taken care 
to state only what I know, or what I think I 
saw. I only mention the names of officers and 
men whom I was forced to notice. It does not 
follow that those who escaped my notice were 
not present and in the thickest of it. For 
example, I do not remember seeing Larry 
Leahy at all after he was sent out with the 
skirmishers, just after we climbed the hill ; but 
no testimony is needed from any one to satisfy 
those who knew him, that he was where duty 
called him. 

It is possible, as I mentioned at the begin- 
ning, that I may be wrong in many of these 
statements ; some of them may have gotten out 
of their proper positions, or become confused 
with other battles or some other movement, 
but I have done the best I could. 

Very truly yours, 

M. J. GRAHAM. 

About the time the first brigade was ordered 
to charge, the Confederate General, A. P. Hill, 



302 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

arrived on the field from Harper's Ferry with a 
body of several thousand troops, who had made 
a forced march from that place after its sur- 
render to " Stonewall " Jackson. These troops 
came by the Sheperdstown road and arrived on 
the Union left flank while the charge was in 
progress. 

Their attack compelled first the 89th and later 
the 103d New York to halt and change front to 
oppose them, but the Ninth being in ignorance 
of the attack, kept straight forward, officers and 
men concentrating their attention on the rebel 
line of battle in their immediate front, which 
was delivering a steady fire upon them. When 
the enemy broke and ran from their stone wall 
breastwork leaving a battery in possession of 
the regiment (supposed to be Mcintosh's, which 
A. P. Hill had sent forward in advance of his 
infantry), the Ninth found themselves alone 
and entirely unsupported on the hill overlook- 
ing the village of Sharpsburg. The other 
regiments of the brigade being faced toward 
the new attack from the left, had checked the 
rebel advance, and were holding them at bay. 
Owing to the great losses sustained during the 
charge, and especially by the last volleys of the 
enemy, the regimental formation of the Ninth 
had become badly broken. Many of the men 
flushed with enthusiasm and the intense, almost 



CHECKING THE IMPETUOUS ONES. y03 

savage desire for vengeance on those who had 
slain so many of their comrades, continued in 
pursuit of the fleeing enemy down the hill 
toward the village. Even after the regiment 
was halted and the readjustment of the line 
ordered, some of the officers were obliged to 
follow and command these men individually to 
return to the line. The acting adjutant, Lieu- 
tenant Horner, only succeeded in driving Ser- 
geant Searing of Company D (who was among 
the foremost in the pursuit) back to the com- 
pany by threatening him with a revolver. 

Searing had been wounded during the charge 
but not severely enough to disable him. He 
was not inclined to submit, even when so 
threatened by the officer. All the latent tiger 
in his nature had been awakened and aroused 
by the sights and sounds of the last quarter of 
an hour, and it required decidedly pointed 
demonstrations on the part of the acting adju- 
tant to recall him to the condition of the 
obedient and well-disciplined non-com. of 
ordinary times. One of these enthusiasts had 
pursued the enemy into the village, at least his 
dead body was afterward found in the village 
street. 

After having passed through that dreadful 
storm of death and wounds there was still 
about one hundred men of the Ninth left to 



304 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

rally around their colors on that bloody hilltop. 
These Kimball formed into a company on the 
ground which had been occupied by the enemy's 
line of battle, and while still exchanging shots 
with the scattered groups of the enemy, waited 
anxiously for the reinforcements which were 
momentarily expected to appear. 

The greater part of the enemy against whom 
the charge had been made had fallen back in 
confusion into the village of Sharpsburg, where 
they were striving to reform their scattered and 
apparently demoralized men. Others had re- 
treated across the deep ravine through which 
runs the road from the village to and across 
Burnside's bridge, and had joined the force of 
infantry and artillery which occupied the hill 
where the National cemetery is now located. 
The Ninth Corps is said to have numbered about 
15,000 men, only part of which had been heavily 
engaged, while the entire Fifth Corps had not 
yet pulled a trigger in the entire battle. While 
the Ninth was holding the position easily and 
was so far as could be seen in no immediate 
danger of dislodgment, Major L. C. Brackett, 
of General Wilcox's staff, rode up and informed 
Kimball of the situation on the left and rear, 
and directed him to retire his regiment. Kim- 
ball objected to this and Brackett did not feel 
that he was in a position where he could right- 



KIMBALL DECLINES TO RETIRE. 305 

fully exercise his authority as staff officer and 
order him to do so. Wilcox's division, which 
was also of the Ninth Corps, had moved for- 
ward, whether in support of Rodman's division 
or as part of the general movement cannot now 
be satisfactorily determined. They had, how- 
ever, arrived at a point comparatively near the 
position then occupied by the Zouaves, when 
Brackett rode forward to inform Kimball of the 
dangerous position in which his regiment was 
placed. 

While he (Brackett) knew that the situation 
of the Ninth, with Hill's rebel troops attacking its 
flank, was a very much exposed and extremely 
dangerous one, he hesitated to give an absolute 
order to fall back. Kimball declined to retire 
unless he was peremptorily ordered to do so. 
He was not disturbed or confused in the least 
by the information that his flank was being 
attacked. He was sure that the other reei- 
ments of the brigade were still on his left, 
and he knew that within a short distance of his 
position there was ample force to not only 
capture Sharpsburg and turn Lee's right, but 
also to encompass the destruction of the now 
thoroughly exhausted and partly demoral- 
ized rebel army. He felt no necessity for retreat- 
ing, and he so informed Major Brackett, assur- 
ing him that he was in no difficulties, but was 



306 NIN'IH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

well able to maintain his position. He pointed 
out the evidences of demoralization among the 
enemy in sight, and demonstrated that the 
order should be to advance instead of retreat, 
and requested the Major to impress upon the 
generals as strongly as possible the exact con- 
dition of affairs and the urgent necessity of 
quickly sending reinforcements to finish the 
work which his brigade had thus far so suc- 
cessfully prosecuted. 

When one or more of his own officers sue- 
gested that Major Brackett's contention was 
correct, and that they should retire, inasmuch 
as there were not cartridges enough left in the 
boxes of the men to enable them to hold their 
ground very long, Kimball replied : " We have 
the bayonets. What are they given to us 
for ? " etc. 

Before the discussion ended Wilcox and the 
rest of his staff rode up and the General 
directed Kimball to retire. Before the reg-i- 

o 

ment was put in motion to carry out the order 
there was noticed what appeared to be a fresh 
brigade of the enemy preparing for a charge on 
the Zouaves. • Wilcox feared the effect of a 
charge on the troops already attacked in flank. 
There was no time to bring up reinforcements 
or to send for ammunition. There were just 
then no troops at hand to meet the impending 



" THEY ARE NOT DRIVEN OFF." 307 

attack but the badly shattered Ninth, alone and 
unsupported, and whose cartridge boxes he 
knew were nearly empty. But desperate as the 
situation was he determined to meet it in the 
only way possible and try to prevent the dis- 
aster that would almost surely follow if the 
rebels were successful. He called Kimball 
aside and said: " Ask your command if they 
will receive the charge at the point of the bayo- 
net if we stick to them ?" Theu answer was 
given in cheers and the fixing of bayonets. 

A movement on the left just then frustrated 
the plans of the enemy and the charge was not 
made. 

While obeying the orders to fall back Kim- 
ball still insisted that his regiment was not 
beaten. He called Wilcox's attention to the 
manner in which the regiment moved off quietly 
submitting to his command : " Look at my 
regiment ! They go off this field under orders. 
They are not driven off. Do they look like a 
beaten regiment?" He insisted that the Gen- 
eral should acknowledge that the regiment re- 
tired under direct orders from the field, to gain 
which it had suffered such fearful losses. 

One who viewed the battle from Elk Ridge, 
near McClellan's headquarters, thus describes 
the closing moments of the battle on the left : 

" Immediately north of Sharpsburg and along 



308 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the hill in front, now the National Cemetery, 
Long-street's cannon were in play. Half way 
up the hill Burnside's men were sending out a 
continuous flame, with A. P. Hill's veterans 
confronting them. All the country was flam- 
ing and smoking ; shells were bursting above 
the contending lines ; Burnside was asking for 
reinforcements. How quickly Porter's corps 
could have rushed across Antietam bridge with 
no Confederates to oppose them, swept up the 
hillside and forced themselves like a wed^e be- 
tween Longstreet and A. P. Hill ; but McClel- 
lan had only Miller's battery to send him. The 
sun went down ; the thunder died away the 
musketry ceased; bivouac fires gleamed as if a 
great city had lighted its lamps." 

The regiment fell back to a position near 
Antietam Creek, and subsequently recrossed 
the stream and bivouacked on high ground 
below Burnside's bridge. 

When the advance of the brigade, prepara- 
tory to fording the creek was first made, that 
part of the battery (Company K) under Lieu- 
tenant Morris, which had been stationed on the 
left of the brigade on the night of the 16th, ad- 
vanced and took up a position which would 
enable it to command the enemy's position in 
the vicinity of the ford. It rendered valuable 
service in clearing the hills on the opposite side 



KIMBALL'S JUDGMENT CORRECT. 309 

of the stream of the enemy, or so harassing 
those who could not be dislodged that they 
were unable to offer any very effective opposi- 
tion to the crossing of the infantry. The whole 
battery subsequently forded the stream, under 
a heavy fire, and after being engaged so con- 
tinuously that its ammunition was exhausted, 
recrossed and was detailed by General Burn- 
side to act as infantry. 

The men were posted as sharpshooters and 
maintained the position to which they were 
assigned all night and the following day. 

It was the universal opinion at this time that 
a golden opportunity had been wasted and the 
Ninth Corps prevented from winning laurels 
which would have completely offset the some- 
what vicious criticisms since made over its 
tardy movements in the forepart of the day and 
for which the Corps as a body was in no way 
responsible. A careful review of the battle by 
the military student will clearly show that 
Colonel Kimball was positively correct in his 
surmises. His experience as a veteran of the 
Mexican War having taught him the value of 
a combined dash at a critical point, where ap- 
parent rashness'accomplishes the desired result 
with the sacrifice of comparatively few lives. 
There is not the slightest doubt that Lee 
would have been overwhelmed and driven into 



310 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the Potomac. His own generals admitted this 
possibility, and were extremely grateful that 
Rodman's attack was not more strongly sup- 
ported, as there would have been but one end- 
ing to the story. 

The Army of the Potomac was numerically 
superior, in better physical condition, and 
nerved on by success, only one thing was 
lacking — a leader. 

The enemy's skirmishers, shortly after the 
troops on the left fell back, occupied the 
ground over which the brigade had charged, 
which enclosed many of the disabled wounded 
within their lines. The regiment was not as a 
body again engaged that day. Fighting ceased 
long before nightfall, although skirmishing and 
picket firing continued through the night and 
all the following day. It was afterward learned 
that this activity on the part of the rebels was 
to cover Lee's withdrawal across the Potomac. 

On the next day the knowledge was unpleas- 
antly and forcibly brought to the attention of 
almost everyone, both officers and men, that the 
feeling of distrust towards the authority respon- 
sible for the terrible mistakes committed on 
the left of the line during the battle was shared 
by all. It was demonstrated that practically 
every man in the regiment was fully alive to 
the previous errors which caused the withdrawal 



"FALL LN FOR THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE." 31 1 

of the regiment from its advanced and hard- 
won position, and they perfectly realized the 
fact that their efforts toward success and their 
devotion to duty had been wasted and the 
lives of so many of their comrades sacrificed 
for naught. 

Two companies were ordered to move down 
the stream a short distance and defend a ford 
below the bridge. 

When the detail was made many of the men 
supplemented the command of the first ser- 
geants to "fall in," with shouts of " fall in for 
the slaughter house," and other cries equally 
as pointed and expressive of their feelings. At 
that time, and until it gradually wore away, 
there was great indignation among all ranks 
in the regiment and a feeling which bordered 
closely on conviction, that no matter what other 
ability might be possessed by some of the higher 
officers, it was not the ability to fight and win 
battles. 

The above detail of two companies who were 
defending the ford were actively engaged dur- 
ing the entire day, and met with several 
casualties, but on the night of the 18th the 
enemy's skirmishers withdrew, and the follow- 
ing morning Lee's army had disappeared. 

As is customary after a battle a certain per- 
centage of the survivors were active in render- 



312 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

ing assistance to the wounded between the 
lines. 

This does not refer to the details which at 
such times are always made to care for the 
wounded and bury the dead, but to volunteers 
who singly, in couples, or larger groups were 
willing to run the risk of death, wounds or 
capture, in order to succor comrades known to 
have fallen, and who might possibly be alive 
but helpless, and whose lives might be saved if 
assistance could reach them before the reeular 
hospital corps commenced its labors. These 
acts of humanity illustrate the strong bonds of 
comradeship which existed. They occurred 
on every battlefield of the war, and it is fair 
to state that those engaged in these works of 
mercy were seldom interfered with by the 
enemy. The men generally proceeded without 
arms, and, if they did not approach too close to 
the lines of the enemy, their presence was 
generally ignored. 

David L. Stage, of Company A, was left on 
the field so badly wounded that he was unable 
to crawl away. At the opening of the cam- 
paign he was a patient in the Hygiene Hospital 
at Fortress Monroe, just convalescent from an 
attack of typhoid fever. Upon learning that 
his regiment was on the move, he sought for 
and obtained his discharge from the hospital 



SUCCORING THE WOUNDED. 313 

with orders to rejoin his company, and re- 
ported for duty just before the command left 
Washington. 

Being "soft "from life in the hospital he broke 
down, and being unable to keep up with the 
regiment, reported to the company commander, 
requesting to be excused from evening roll-call, 
and to be permitted to get over the ground 
in his own fashion, promising to be present at 
the morning roll-calls, and to be with the regi- 
ment in the next engagement. His captain 
recommended that he " report sick " and be or- 
dered to an ambulance, which suggestion was 
declined. He was with his company at South 
Mountain and pulled through all right, but at 
Antietam he was wounded five times and left 
on the field when the regiment fell back. He 
was found by one of the above mentioned 
searchers, John W. Jacobus, of his own com- 
pany, barely alive. For two days he had lain 
on the battlefield without food or drink with 
his wounds fly-blown and filled with maggots. 
One wound was in the face, the jaw having 
been broken by a fragment of shell, making 
the mastication of soldier's fare an impossibility. 
Procuring a bottle, Jacobus, with much inge- 
nuity and the aid of a quill projecting through 
the cork, improvised a very respectable nursing 
bottle, and espying a cow in the neighboring 



314 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

field obtained a supply of milk with which he 
fed Stage. This restored his strength to such 
a degree that he was able to bear removal, when 
with the assistance of others of the boys he was 
carried to the hospital, where, under the skillful 
and attentive treatment of Surgeon Humphreys, 
he was soon out of danger and ultimately made 
a complete recovery. 

The following extracts of reports are taken 
from the Official Records of the Rebellion : 

Vol. 19, Series I, page 63, from the report of 
Maj.-Gen. Geo. B. McClellan : 

" The troops of General Burnside held the left of the line opposite 
bridge No. 3. The attack on the right was to have been supported by 
the attack on the left. I visited Burnside's position on the 16th and 
after pointing out to him the proper dispositions to be made of his 
troops, informed him he would probably be required to attack the 
enemy's right on the following morning, and directed him to make 
careful reconnaissances. * * * * 

" Early in the morning of the 17th I ordered Burnside to form his 
troops and hold them in readiness to assault the bridge in his front, 
and await further orders. At eight o'clock an order was sent to him 
by Lieutenant Wilson, Topographical Engineer, to carry the bridge, 
then to gain possession of the heights beyond, and to advance along 
their crest upon Sharpsburg and its rear After some time had 
elapsed, not hearing from him, I dispatched an aide to ascertain what 
had been done. The aide returned with the information that but 
little progress had been made. 

" I then sent him back with an order to General Burnside to assault 
the bridge at once, and carry it at all hazards. The aide returned to 
me a second time with the report that the bridge was still in possession 
of the enemy, and I directed Colonel Sackett, Inspector General, to 
deliver to Burnside my positive instructions to push forward without 
delay, and if necessary carry the bridge at the point of the bayonet, 
and ordered Colonel Sackett to remain with Burnside and see the order 
was executed promptly. After three hours' delay the bridge was 
carried at one o'clock by a brilliant charge of the 51st New York and 
51st Pennsylvania ; other troops were then thrown over and the oppo- 



GENERAL McCLELL AN'S REPOR T. 315 

site bank occupied the enemy retreating to the heights beyond. A 
halt was then made by Burnside's advance until 3 p.m., upon hearing 
which I directed one of my aides, Colonel Key, to inform General 
Burnside that I desired him to push forward his troops with the utmost 
vigor and carry the enemy's position on the heights ; that the move- 
ment was vital to our success ; and this was a time when we must not 
stop for loss of life if a great object could be accomplished ; that if, in 
his judgment, his attack would fail, to inform me so at once, that his 
troops might be withdrawn and used elsewhere on the field. 

" He replied that he would soon advance, and would go up the hill 
as far as a battery of the enemy on the left would permit. 

Upon this report I again immediately sent Key to Burnside, with 
orders to advance at once, if possible, to flank the battery or storm it, 
repeating that if he considered the movement impracticable to inform 
me so, that his troops might be recalled. The advance was then 
gallantly resumed, the enemy driven from their guns, the heights 
handsomely carried, and a portion of the troops even reached the 
outskirts of Sharpsburg. 

" By this time it was nearly dark, and strong reinforcements just 
then reaching the enemy from Harper's Ferry, attacked Burnside's 
troops on the left flank and forced them to retire to a lower range of 
hills nearer the bridge. 

"If this important movement had been consummated two hours 
earlier a position would have been secured upon the heights, from 
which our batteries might have enfiladed the greater part of the 
enemy's line and turned their right and rear. Our victory might then 
have been much more decisive." 

Extracts from Burnside's report, page 419: 

" At this time (morning of 17th) Rodman's division with Scammon's 
brigade in support was opposite the foid some three-quarters of a mile 
below the bridge. * * * * 

" The battery of Dahlgren boat howitzers attached to the 9th New 
York covered the crossing of Rodman's division at the ford. At ten 
o'clock I received an order from the commanding general to make the 
attack. * * * Rodman was directed to cross over at the ford below the 
bridge and join on to the left of the command, which was to be thrown 
over the bridge. From General Cook's position it was found to be 
almost impossible to carry the bridge, and General Sturgis was 
ordered to make a detail from his division for that purpose. 

" He sent forward the 2d Maryland and 6th New Hampshire, which 
regiments made several successive attacks in the most gallant style, 
but were driven back by the galling fire of the enemy. 

" I then directed the batteries on the left to concentrate their fire on 
the woods above the bridge, and sent Sturgis word to detail the 51st 



316 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Pennsylvania and 51st New York to assault the bridge and carry it at 
all hazards. 

" In the meantime Colonel Crook had brought a section of his battery 
to bear upon the heights just above the bridge. Sturgis, by a judi- 
cious posting of these two regiments in rear of a spur which fronted 
the bridge, succeeded in protecting them from the enemy's fire until 
they reached the crest of the spur, at which point they commenced 
their charge and carried the bridge at the point of the bayonet about 
one o'clock, the whole division following immediately. * * * * 

" Rodman's division succeeded in crossing the fords below, after a 
sharp fight of musketry and artillery, and joined on to the left of 
Sturgis." * * * * 

" The dispositions being completed, about three o'clock in accord- 
ance with instructions received from the general commanding, I 
directed Cox to move forward with the whole command, except 
Sturgis' division left in reserve. * * * Rodman succeeded in 
carrying the main heights on the left of the town, one of his regi- 
ments (the gth New York) capturing one of the most formidable of the 
enemy's batteries (Mcintosh's); but at this juncture the enemy was 
largely reinforced by A. P. Hill's light division, which had just arrived 
from Harper's Ferry. During the attack Rodman was forced to bear 
more to the left than was intended when the advance was ordered, and 
Cox was forced to move him more to the right with a view to strength- 
ening the line, during which movement Rodman was mortally wounded 
while gallantly leading his command to the assault. At this time 
Colonel Harland's brigade was driven back leaving the battery which 
they had captured. * * * 

" It was now nearly sundown and I ordered Sturgis' division forward 
in support and they held the enemy at bay, fighting him at close 
quarters until long after dark. The enemy being strongly reinforced, 
and as we could not be, the command was ordered to fall back to the 
crests above the bridge." 

General Cox in his report, page 426, says: 
"Rodman fell desperately wounded by a ball 
through his breast. The loss of their com- 
mander at this critical period caused confusion 
in a portion of the division on the extreme 
left." 

Kimball's report to his brigade commander 
says : " At daylight on the morning of the 



LT. COLONEL KIMBALL'S REPORT. 317 

17th, six of the rebel guns commenced shell- 
ing us with such effect as to compel us to 
change our position. The Ninth lost here in 
wounded twelve men. After changing our 
position still further to the left, I directed, in 
accordance with orders from the General com- 
manding the battery, Company K, Captain 
Whiting, to open fire on the enemy's battery 
across the creek, which he did, soon silencing 
it. Immediately after this we were ordered 
to ford the creek and form in line of battle 
on the bluff opposite, directly in front of the 
enemy, which order was promptly executed, 
pushing his entire line of skirmishers back from 
the creek, and compelling him to retire to his 
main force on his left, we proceeding by the 
right flank along the bluff of the creek for about 
three-fourths of a mile to the brow of a hill, 
till within about eight hundred yards of the 
enemy's main body of artillery and infantry. 

"Here we halted for rest, when the rebel bat- 
teries opened an unmerciful fire of shot and 
shell upon us, killing and wounding a number 
of my regiment. We were soon ordered to 
advance, which was promptly done, the differ- 
ent battalions moving in line of battle, and 
dressing on their colors with as much coolness 
and accuracy as though upon the drill ground 
instead of the battlefield. 



318 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

"After proceeding about two hundred yards 
you ordered the charge to be made, when we 
rushed forward with a wild huzzah, peculiar to 
the Zouaves, and immediately received the fire 
of thousands of the enemy's fresh troops, con- 
sisting of infantry and artillery, which had been 
brought forward to meet us. At this time the 
gallant Cooper fell. A shell fell in my lines, 
killing eight men at one explosion, and a 
round shot took off private Conway's head. 
While the infantry fire was like hail around and 
among us, producing the most dreadful car- 
nage, not a man who was not wounded, 
wavered or faltered, but all pressed on with 
charged bayonets to the top of the hill, and 
drove the enemy from his position. At this 
time our color-bearers and guard had all been 
shot down, when Captain Libaire of Company 
E, seized one, and Captain Leahy of Company I, 
the other of our standards and advanced them 
to the wall near the road, when the rout of the 
enemy at this point became complete. After 
crossing the road and ravine the enemy 
promptly rallied and attempted to turn upon us 
by a flank movement on our left, but were pre- 
vented by the 89th New York, under command 
of Major Jardine of the Ninth, who gave them 
the bayonet, and captured their colors, which 
proved to be those of a South Carolina regi- 



L T. COL ON EL KIMBAL L '5 REPOR T. 319 

ment, and completing the victory at this point. 
After resting here for a short time and finding 
the enemy massing fresh troops in large force 
on our left, we were ordered to retire and take 
position about four hundred yards in the rear 
of the position we then occupied, which change 
was executed in good order and without con- 
fusion. After remaining in this position for a 
short time we were positively ordered to with- 
draw from the greater part of the field we had 
won. 

" The men retired in good order at a slow 
step, and with tears in their eyes at the 
necessity which compelled them to leave the 
field they had so dearly won and bivouacked 
for the night. Thus ended one of the hardest 
battles ever fought on this continent. While 
all behaved so gallantly it would be invidious 
to mention one as distinguished above another. 

Captain Libaire, Company E (color company) 
did splendid service, and seized and carried 
the colors when the sergeant bearing them 
was shot down. 

" Captain Childs, Company G, wounded by a 
shell early in the morning, was prevented from 
taking further part in the action of the day. 
Captain Leahy, Company I, acted in the most 
gallant manner, seizing and advancing to the 
foremost front one of our standards when the 



320 NINTH REGIMENT. NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

regular bearer thereof was killed. Lieutenants 
Bartholomew, Burdett, McKechnie, Klingsoehr 
and Powell, all performed their duty in the 
most gallant manner, and to my entire satis- 
faction. 

" Lieutenant Graham, commanding Company 
A (Captain Graham being sick in hospital) was 
wounded, and since has had his leg amputated, 
behaved in a most admirable manner. Lieu- 
tenant Horner, acting adjutant (Adjutant Bar- 
nett being sick), behaved splendidly and 
performed every duty in the coolest manner 
and to my entire satisfaction. Captain Whiting 
and Lieutenant Morris, of battery Company K, 
although not under my immediate notice, being 
detailed on artillery service in another part of 
the field, I learned behaved well, Lieutenant 
Morris making some excellent shots with his 
rifled guns, and silencing one of the enemy's 
batteries. The thanks of the entire regiment 
are due to Surgeon Humphreys and Assistant- 
Surgeon Harding, who were indefatigable in 
their attentions to the wounded. 

"We have to lament the death of 2d Lieut. E. 
C. Cooper, who was wounded just as we entered 
the charge, who thought his wounds slight and 
refused to be carried from the field. He was a 
good officer, a brave and gallant soldier, and 
much beloved, and his loss is deeply regretted 
by the regiment. 



L T. COL ON EL KLMBA LL'S RE FOR T. 321 

" I cannot close this report without calling 
your special attention to the Quartermaster- 
Sergeant Pannes (slightly wounded), Sergeants 
Dews, Whitney (wounded), and Schmidt; Cor- 
porals Farrell (wounded) Cornell and Roberts, 
Company B ; Sergeants Forbes, Salisbury and 
Corporal Vanduzer (all wounded) Company A ; 
Sergeants Geayer, Stiles, Corporals Fields and 
Stephens (all wounded) Company C ; Ser- 
geants Fitsgerald and Searing, Company D ; 
Smith, Hankinson, Jackson and Keating (the 
latter both wounded) Company E ; Riley, 
River, Connor (wounded) Company I ; Color- 
Sergeant Myers (wounded) Company C ; and 
Color-Corporal Van Cott, Company A. 

" I would also call your special attention to 
Bugler Horn, who, until wounded, sounded the 
various commands with as much coolness and 
nonchalance as though on a parade-ground 
instead of a battle-ground. 

" The Pioneer Corps under Corporal Van 
Duzer behaved well, indeed. 

" There are many non-commissioned offi- 
cers and privates to whose names I would be 
pleased to individually call attention, did space 
permit, but suffice it to say that all behaved 
gallantly and are entitled to credit for good 
conduct on the field. * * * In conclusion, 
my thanks are due to the 89th New York, 



322 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Major Jardine, and the 103d New York, Major 
Ringgold, for the efficient and united support 
rendered us during the entire engagement. It 
is proper to add that on the 19th, I made a de- 
tail from my regiment under Lieutenant Pow- 
ell, who buried our entire dead and marked the 
bodies for identification. 

" Thanking you in behalf of my regiment for 
the gallantry and coolness with which you com- 
manded us, and the confidence with which you 
led us." 

E. A. KIMBALL, 

Lieutenant-Colonel, 

Commanding 9th New York Volunteers. 

To Col. H. I. Fairchild, 

Commanding 1st Brigade, 

3d Division, gth Army Corps. 

" The report of Col. H. I. Fairchild, com- 
manding 1st Brigade, 3d Division, 9th Army 
Corps, page 449, says : 

"Saturday morning, September 13th, Gen- 
eral Rodman ordered the 9th New York, under 
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball, to 
support Colonel Rush's regiment of lancers on 
the road from Frederick to Jefferson, and sub- 
sequently the battery company of the Ninth, 
together with the 89th and 103d New York, 
were ordered by General Parke, Chief of Staff, 
as additional support to the regiment, and on 



COLONEL FAIRCHILD'S REPORT. 323 

our arrival we found the lancers and Ninth had 
a skirmish about five miles from Frederick. 

"The enemy was reported in front with artill- 
ery and cavalry, and Company B of the Ninth 
was sent forward to reconnoitre on the left, and 
reported the enemy having left the position 
they occupied the previous night with three 
guns and a small cavalry force and the road 
clear. 

"Companies C and H, Captain Parisen and 
Lieutenant McKechnie, were sent to the right 
in the woods and discovered, engaged and 
drove the enemy's pickets across the fields 
toward Middletown, the lancers and remainder 
of the 9th advancing toward Jefferson. With 
the rest of the brigade I took position on the hill 
one and one-half miles this side of Jefferson 
forming line of battle, and at sunset received 
an order from General Reno to return with the 
brigade to Frederick, where we arrived at 7 
o'clock p.m., and received orders to march the 
next morning (Sunday) at 3 a.m. Reaching 
Middletown the next day at 10 a.m., we bivou- 
acked a few hours, then moved to South 
Mountain Gap, and were ordered to the left to 
form line of battle on Cox's division and sup- 
port Battery E, 4th U. S. Artillery. 

" While forming line of battle we were at- 
tacked on the left by the 2d, 3d, 13th and 30th 



324 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

North Carolina regiments, their object being to 
capture the battery which had been sometime 
in position without support. 

" The 9th and 103d New York were in line 
of battle ready for action. The 89th New York 
got in line and opened fire (being the only 
regiment engaged) with Battery E, 4th Artill- 
ery ; the enemy were repulsed, the left saved 
from being turned, and the battery from being 
taken. Our loss was 2 killed, 18 wounded. 
We captured 18 prisoners and 150 stand of 
small arms, holding our position during the 
night, the enemy retreating. On the afternoon 
of the 15th we marched till late at night, en- 
camping a little beyond Mt. Carmel. We were 
again ordered forward in the afternoon of the 
16th, taking position on a hill in a cornfield on 
the eastern shore of Antietam Creek, being the 
extreme left of line. Placing two guns of the 
9th battery in position on our left flank we 
slept on our arms. 

"At daylight, the enemy discovering our posi- 
tion, we were fired upon by sharpshooters and 
briskly shelled by a battery on the opposite 
side of creek. 

" By order of General Rodman we left this 
exposed position under a heavy fire, having 36 
men wounded, and took position to the left 
and rear, up the gorge of the mountain. After 



COLONEL FAIR CHILD'S REPORT. 325 

resting two hours we were ordered to advance 
and form line of battle on the crest of the hill 
to the left of the position vacated in the morn- 
ing. The 9th battery was ordered to the left 
and commenced shelling the road and woods 
on the opposite side of creek driving the enemy 
from their position. The enemy then ad- 
vanced their skirmishers, but were forced to 
retire by the timely execution of this battery. 

" The brigade then moved by the left flank 
down to the ford, crossing the creek and form- 
ing in the woods, advanced and took a position 
opposite the bridge and formed line of battle in 
rear of a battery, remaining in position under a 
heavy fire of shell for nearly an hour until 
ordered to advance. General Rodman then 
ordered us to advance to the support of Stur- 
gis' command. 

"We advanced to the opposite hill up steep 
embankments under a very severe fire from 
the enemy's batteries. Arriving near a stone 
fence the enemy (a brigade of South Carolina 
and Georgia troops) opened on us with mus- 
ketry. After returning their fire I immediately 
ordered a charge, which the whole brigade re- 
sponded to, moving with alacrity and steadi- 
ness. 

" Arriving at the fence behind which the 
enemy were awaiting us, receiving their fire 



326 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and losing large numbers of men, we charged 
over the fence dislodging them and driving 
them from their position down the hill toward 
the village. 

" A stand of rebel colors of a South Carolina 
regiment was here captured by private Thomas 
Hare, Company D, 89th New York, who was 
afterward killed. 

"We continued to pursue down the hill, 
when finding the enemy massing fresh troops 
on our left, I went back and requested General 
Rodman to bring up rapidly the second brigade 
to our support, which he did, they engaging the 
enemy, he soon after falling badly wounded. 
The enemy were then discovered moving up 
from the cornfield on our left to flank us, and 
I ordered the brigade to retire about two hun- 
dred and fifty yards to the rear of the position 
we now held, which movement was executed 
in good order and without confusion. 

" The large force advancing on our left flank 
compelled us to retire from the position, which 
we could have held had we been properly 
supported. We remained in this position until 
we were positively ordered from the field, the 
officers and men regretting such a necessity. 
Great praise is due Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball 
commanding the 9th, Major Jardine com- 
manding the 89th, and Major Ringgold com- 



LOSSES IN THE BATTLE. 327 

manding the 103d regiment, for their coolness, 
gallantry, and bravery on the field ; also to the 
line officers of the several regiments and the 
steadiness of the men." 

H. I. FAIRCHILD, 

Colonel 89th New York, 

Commanding ist Brigade. 

The dead bodies of 54 of their comrades 
lying on the field, with nearly 200 wounded, 
proved how nobly and faithfully the Zouaves 
fulfilled their vows to guard and protect their 
regimental colors with their lives. 

Their regiment went into action with eight 
companies numbering 373 men, the loss being 
54 killed, 158 wounded, and 28 missing, 
amounting to a loss of 64.5 per cent, exceeded 
by only ten regiments out of the more than 
2,000 regiments enlisted on the Union side 
during the "War of the Rebellion," and sur- 
passed by but one regiment from the Empire 
State, which State furnished 445,959 men dur- 
ing that war. 

To appreciate the magnitude of these figures 
we quote from " Fox's Book of Regimental 
Losses," a statement of the average loss of life 
in battle : 

" Mr. Kirkley, the statistician of the War 
Department, states the death from battles dur- 



328 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

ing the Civil War at 110,070, of which 67,058 
are classified as killed in action, and 43,012 as 
having died of wounds." 

From this it appears that on the average 
the mortally wounded are equal to 64 per cent, 
of the killed. 

The proportion of wounded to killed, where 
the mortally wounded are included with the 
wounded, is a fraction over 4 to 1. Where they 
are included with the killed, the proportion is 
something over 2 wounded to 1 killed. The 
first represents the common form used in stat- 
ing the casualties at the close of an action, the 
second the same loss, after the number who 
died of wounds has been ascertained from the 
muster-out rolls and added to the killed out- 
right, which generally increased the number of 
killed over 50 per cent. 

It should be remembered that the greater 
part of the loss of the Ninth occurred in the 
space of about fifteen minutes, as McClellan 
mentions in his report of sending orders at 
three o'clock to Burnside to push forward with 
vigor and carry the enemy's position on the 
heights. 

General Longstreet, in his book " From 
Manassas to Appomattox," says, page 240 : 

" But the sanguinary character of this battle 
is most strikingly exhibited by a comparison of 



ANTIETAM COMPARED WITH OTHER BATTLES. 329 

the accurate figures of the Federal losses re- 
turned specifically for the day. These show a 
total killed and wounded of 11,657 (or, in- 
cluding the captured and missing, 12,410) as 
contrasted with 17,567 killed and wounded in 
three days at Gettysburg, 16,141 in eight days 
at Spottssylvania, and 14,283 in the three days 
at the Wilderness, while the three and two 
days' fighting respectively at Chancellorsville 
and Chickamauga were actually productive of 
less loss than this battle of one day. 

" The exceeding losses of this battle are 
further shown by the fact that of the 1 1 ,657 
Federals stricken on the field, the great number 
of 2,108 were actually slain — more than two- 
thirds of the number killed in three days at 
Gettysburg (3,070). And this tremendous 
tumult of carnage was entirely compassed in 
the brief hours from dawn to four o'clock in the 
afternoon." 

The brigade to which the Ninth was at- 
tached (Fairchild's) had a total loss of 455 in 
killed, wounded -and missing, the 9th regiment 
losing 240, or 53 per cent, of the brigade loss, 
the regimental loss being 64.5 per cent. 



CHAPTER XL 

RETREAT OF THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA— APA- 
THY OF FIFTH CORPS— CAMPING ON THE ANTIETAM 
— RECRUITS FOR THE NINTH — THEIR RECEPTION 
AND TREATMENT BY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL KIM- 
BALL AND HIS TRIBUTE TO THE OLD REGIMENT- 
CAPTAIN WHITING — VISIT FROM PRESIDENT LIN- 
COLN — THE LOAVES AND THE GOOD ZOUAVES — 
HOSPITAL ARRANGEMENTS — THE BAND PLAYS 
"ANNIE LAURIE" FOR THE SICK MEN— PROMOTION 
OF SURGEON HUMPHREYS — ACROSS ELK RIDGE 
TO PLEASANT VALLEY — " TENTING ON THE OLD 
CAMP GROUND." 



O 



N the following morning it was seen that 
the army of Northern Virginia was still 
in position with its front well covered with skir- 
mishers who were at times quite aggressive. 
The remnant of the Ninth was ordered on the 
skirmish line and were several times during 
the day quite sharply engaged. The regiment 
continued to act in this capacity until about 
three o'clock in the afternoon when it was with- 
drawn and went into bivouac. 

The activity on the part of the enemy's skir- 
mishers was thought by many of the men in 



RETREA T OF LEE'S ARMY. 33 1 



the Union army to be for the purpose of con- 
cealing important movements in their main 
body, and it was learned later that they were 
busily preparing for their withdrawal horn their 
position and across the Potomac, which move- 
ment was successfully accomplished that same 
night notwithstanding the presence of the eighty 
or ninety thousand men of McClellan's army. 

Among the troops, on the left of the Federal 
line at least, it was a matter of wonder why 
they remained so comparatively inactive, only 
resisting the aggressive action of the enemy's 
skirmishers, instead of " going in " and renew- 
ing the battle in earnest. It was a matter quite 
generally discussed among officers and enlisted 
men, and it was the almost unanimous opinion 
among them that Lee's army could be com- 
pletely destroyed if active operations were re- 
sumed at once and carried out with spirit and 
determination, and at a loss that would be in- 
significant as compared with that of the day 
before. Now, after the lapse of years, and with 
the knowledge we possess concerning the con- 
dition of each army, it is incomprehensible why 
the Army of the Potomac was not pushed for- 
ward vigorously and Lee's army utterly de- 
stroyed or captured. 

The whole fifth army corps had been held in 
reserve all day on the 17th. They had not 



332 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

been engaged with the enemy, nor does it ap- 
pear that they had been used for any military 
purpose whatever either during or after the 
battle. To the ordinary citizen soldier, not 
especially educated and trained for the profes- 
sion of arms, it seemed that troops held in 
reserve should be so held for a purpose and 
with specific objects in view. That after 
the enemy had been shattered and weakened 
by successive, and more or less successful 
attacks, the reserves should be pushed forward 
and the destruction of the enemy's line, already 
wavering, be completed and the victory made 
sure; or that, in the event of disaster and re- 
pulse, it should be used to cover the retreat of 
the rest of the army. This latter contingency 
was not present on the Union side at any time 
during the battle of Antietam, and in regard to 
the former, this splendid fifth corps, the admira- 
tion of every West Pointer in the army, which 
comprised within its ranks all the regular troops 
in the army of the Potomac, did not pull a 
trigger all that day. Lee's army had been so 
broken and beaten that day that Longstreet 
afterwards described its condition at the con- 
clusion of the fi^ht as beinq- " torn into tatters." 
Still the opposing commanders permitted an 
army in that condition to retire and cross a 
difficult river without molesting it. The corps 



NEGLECTED OPPORTUNITIES. 333 

to which the Zouaves belonged, the Ninth, is 
said to have numbered about fifteen thousand 
men of all arms. Some of its brigades had 
sustained comparatively little loss — not enough 
to seriously impair their effectiveness — and most 
of them were certainly in a condition to be 
pushed forward at the critical moment. That 
moment arrived on their part of the field when 
Fairchild's brigade broke the enemy's right and 
drove his scattered soldiers into the village of 
Sharpsburg. Hill's attack on the flank of Fair- 
child's advancing brigade, and on the left of 
the line, would have amounted to even less than 
it did had a fresh brigade of infantry been 
thrown forward to oppose him when it was 
first made. It is now known that he had only 
about twenty-five hundred men left in his com- 
mand after the forced march from Harper's 
Ferry, while there was force enough unengaged 
in the Ninth corps alone to brush him off the 
field with very little trouble. 

This is not the place, however, nor is it the 
intention of the writer of this chronicle of the 
Ninth Regiment to enter into any extended 
criticism of military movements and operations, 
or to attempt to record anything that does not 
pertain particularly to the regiment and is ne- 
cessary to describe its services while in the field. 
On the 19th the regiment moved about six 



334 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

miles and established a camp on the bank of 
the Antietam where the regular routine of army 
life, drills, parades, etc., was again resumed. 

At about this date a large body of recruits, 
that had been specially enlisted for the regiment, 
was received from New York. The exact num- 
ber cannot now be given, but there were enough 
of them to double at least the then effective 
strength of the command. Lieutenant-Colonel 
Kimball's reception and treatment of them was 
decidedly original. To simply say that he was 
proud of the regiment, especially after the way 
the men had behaved in the late battle, the 
unflinching courage they had shown even after 
their number had been reduced by the fire of 
the enemy to less than a hundred men, does 
not fully describe his feelings toward them. 

The newly arrived recruits were regularly 
assigned to the various companies and they 
beean to receive instructions in their duties 

o 

and practice in the drill and manual as was 
usual, but Kimball would not at first permit 
them to parade in the ranks with the other men 
upon occasions of ceremony. He did not con- 
sider it proper to permit raw recruits to become 
at once fully privileged members of such a 
regiment as the Ninth. On two or three occa- 
sions after the evening parades had been 
resumed (which was some days after the battle) 



HOW KIMBALL RECEIVED THE RECRUITS. 335 

he caused them to be separated from the other 
men and formed in a battalion and drawn up in 
a position from which there was a good view 
of the dress-parade and where they easily could 
see the various details of the ceremony and 
observe the general appearance of the men, and 
the style of the regiment. He explained to 
them that it would be out of place to permit 
new and untried men to parade with, and at 
once become part of, such a regiment, and that 
he wished to give them the opportunity to 
study the command to which they had been 
assigned. He informed them that they must 
consider themselves very fortunate in getting 
into the best regiment in the service and in 
sharing the honor that regiment had already 
gained. He also directed them to look at the 
boys and to remember that they were the 
remnant of a gallant organization that had, in 
obedience to orders, advanced against a greatly 
superior force of infantry supported by three 
batteries of artillery, and that they had con- 
tinued unhesitatingly and unflinchingly to "obey 
the orders of the officers appointed over them," 
which orders on that occasion had been simply 
"forward," and this while being constantly 
decimated by the enemy's fire, and that after 
having left sixty-five per cent, of < their number 
dead and wounded on the ground, they had 



336 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

dislodged a brigade of the enemy from a strong 
position which they then occupied and had held 
the ground until positively ordered away by 
superior authority. He assured the recruits 
that they had honor reflected upon them by 
simply belonging to such a regiment, and that 
it was a privilege which they should not under- 
estimate to be in a position to claim these men 
as comrades. Continuing, he said he was not 
sure that he would be justified in permitting 
new and untried men to take their places, just 
yet, in the ranks of a regiment with such an ex- 
ceptionally honorable record, where they (the 
recruits) would be mistaken by the ordinary ob- 
server, for the men who had participated in the 
" Charge of the Ninth New York at Antietam." 
Their future conduct, he said, would determine 
his course in reference to that. He hoped they 
would soon have an opportunity to show what 
kind of soldiers they would make and when the 
time did come, whether soon or late, he hoped 
and almost believed that they would prove 
they were not unworthy of standing in the 
ranks with the old men of the Ninth Regiment. 
Of course some of the old boys heard this 
haraneue and all of them sooner or later heard 
about it. It pleased them greatly to learn that 
the "old man" had such a good opinion of 
them, and was so proud of their behavior in the 



A RUDE AWAKENING. 337 

recent battle. There is not the slightest doubt 
that the incident had a very beneficial and ele- 
vating effect on both veteran and recruit. 
There can be very little doubt that the object 
he had in view was to strengthen the esprit de 
corps among the older men and to inspire the 
new ones with a desire to show themselves 
worthy of any regiment or of any cause, and, 
as on another occasion, when the regiment was 
going into action at Roanoke Island, where his 
remarks to the men were somewhat differently 
worded, but with the same end in view, there is 
no doubt his object was attained. 

The world contains men of all kinds and 
characters. Their diversity was as great among 
the Zouaves as elsewhere under similar condi- 
tions. Some of a certain kind thought they saw 
in the Lieutenant-Colonel's remarks to the re- 
cruits indications of an approaching change in 
his manner of governing the regiment. Prob- 
ably some of them even went so far as to im- 
agine that hereafter the " old man " would fra- 
ternize with them, and would be likely to call a 
meeting of the regiment and put it to a vote to 
determine the advisability of executing an order 
or performing a military duty — to simulate a 
sort of town meeting. But they were woefully 
mistaken, for on the first sign of carelessness or 
inattention to the slightest detail of duty, they 



338 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

were rudely and suddenly awakened to a rea- 
lization that they had been dreaming, that the 
old rule of discipline — constant and rigid dis- 
cipline — under all conditions and at all times 
still prevailed. 

While the regiment was encamped at this 
place Colonel Hawkins returned from leave of 
absence. Upon reporting for duty he was as- 
signed to the command of the division, which 
was the 3d Division of the 9th Corps. The 
command of a division is, under ordinary cir- 
cumstances, that of a major-general, but the 
scarcity of officers just then, due principally to 
the exceptionally large number killed and 
wounded during the battle of the 17th, made 
it necessary to assign the surviving officers to 
a much larger command than their grade would 
entitle them to under ordinary conditions. 

Colonel Hawkins ranked as colonel from the 
4th of May, 1 86 1, which in all probability made 
him at that time and subsequently until the 
muster-out of the regiment, the ranking colonel 
in the Army of the Potomac. 

From the date of the occupation of Hatteras 
by the regiment until the expiration of its term 
of service, the Colonel always commanded a 
larger sub-division of the army than a regiment. 
The only exception to this was during the 
Roanoke Island campaign, when the Ninth was 



CHANGES AMONG THE OFFICERS. 339 



attached to the brigade of General Parke, Colo- 
nel Hawkins being in command of his own 
reeiment. In the absence of the colonel as 
brigade division or post commander, the senior 
field officer present with the regiment was the 
commanding officer. Lieutenant-Colonel Betts 
performed this duty until his resignation, when 
he was succeeded by Kimball, first as major, 
and afterwards as lieutenant-colonel. This 
will serve to explain why the name of Kim- 
ball so often appears as the commanding offi- 
cer. He was so in fact. 

About this time Captain Whiting, of Com- 
pany K, resigned his commission. His loss 
was much regretted by nearly every one in the 
regiment, especially by the men of his own 
company. He had always shown himself to be 
a eood officer. He was a strict disciplinarian, 
but kind and considerate toward his men, while 
his conduct in battle left nothing to be desired. 

Lieutenant Richard Morris, of the same com- 
pany, was promoted to the vacancy and became 
captain of the company. He had developed an 
extraordinary aptitude in the handling of bat- 
teries, proving himself a natural artillerist. His 
skill attracted the notice of his superior officers 
and he became well known throughout the 
whole corps as a marvelously accurate shot, 
either with a field-piece or a siege gun. 



340 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

On the 23d of the month Company K was, by 
order of General Burnside, detached from the 
regiment and directed to report to the com- 
manding officer at Harper's Ferry, when it was 
assigned to a position on Bolivar Heights. 

On the 26th the camp of the regiment was 
moved about six miles to a location near the 
Antietam Iron Works. It was a much better 
place for a permanent camp than the former 
one. There was an abundance of good water 
for all purposes, and in addition other advan- 
tages, such as convenience to transportation 
facilities, etc., which the old camp did not 
possess. Rations began to be issued here in 
quantities somewhat approaching the regular 
army allowance. Fresh meat and fresh vegeta- 
bles were included in the issues, and the men 
of the regiment had the first opportunity to 
fully satisfy their hunger that they had enjoyed 
since the advance guard' of the army first struck 
the enemy's rear east of Monocacy Ridge on 
the 9th or iothof September. 

President Lincoln visited the army while the 
Ninth was in camp here. On the 3d of October 
the regiment had the honor of being reviewed 
by him. The men were very proud of it, and 
each one did his very best to aid the regiment 
in making the best appearance possible before 
the chief magistrate. The President seemed 



PRESIDENT LINCOLN IN CAMP. 34 1 

very much pleased with what he saw, and was 
quite complimentary — almost flattering — in his 
comments on the regiment, on its proficiency 
in drill, on its general style, its movements and 
its marchings. This was extremely gratifying 
to both officers and men, especially as his 
remarks were made to, or in the presence and 
hearing of a number of prominent personages, 
g-enerals included, who had attended him at the 
review. Jit is well known that commendation 
is to a soldier, as indeed it is to nearly every- 
one, the very breath of life. Honorable men- 
tion in an order or a report, the simple saying 
of " well done " by a superior, repays him for 
any risks run or any task attempted. 

It may be interesting to relate an incident 
which occurred here in the presence of Mr. 
Lincoln which will show to the reader how the 
varied experiences of soldiers in camp and 
field taught them to be prompt to act and 
resourceful in expedient at all times and under 
all circumstances. 

As a mild apology for what follows the writer 
desires to explain that ever since the manoeu- 
vring and fighting which led up to the battles 
of South Mountain and Antietam began, food 
had been so scarce that the men had continued 
in a state of ravenous hunger. While every 
road in the territory over which two armies are 



342 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

marching, manoeuvring and skirmishing pre- 
paratory to engaging in a great battle is for 
days fully occupied by the moving troops, or 
reserved to be used for the rapid transfer of 
regiments and batteries to critical points as 
they may be needed, the quartermaster's trains 
are compelled to hover on the fringe of the 
army. Occasionally some quartermaster will 
push in in the night with one or more wagons, 
and if fortunate enough to find his command, 
will replenish the empty haversacks with more 
or less hardtack. But they seldom succeed in 
their efforts to do this. Generally there is con- 
siderable suffering from hunger. This condi- 
tion still continues for some days after the 
battle has been fought. Then every energy is 
exerted in caring for the wounded and in 
bringing up ammunition to fill the empty ammu- 
nition chests and cartridge boxes. This last 
takes precedence of everything. The battle 
may be renewed at any moment, and without a 
sufficient supply of cartridges the army is lost. 
It is a very difficult matter to get anything to 
eat at such times. The living — if the opportu- 
nity offers — empty the haversacks of the dead 
and the neighboring fields are scoured in 
search of corn, potatoes or anything that can 
be cooked for food. 

As soon as the beaten army retreats and it 



AN UNWELCOME INTERRUPTION. 343 

becomes comparatively safe to move about 
again, the commercial spirit suddenly awakes 
and the wagons of the sutler fill the land. Not 
alone the army sutler, but men from near and 
far — and women also at times — appear in the 
various camps offering eatables for sale, bread 
being the staple. 

One morning, during the time the President 
was on his visit to the army, several of the 
Zouaves found themselves part of a crowd of 
soldiers surrounding a wagon loaded with 
bread which was being peddled along the road. 
Some of the soldiers in the crowd had money 
and bought, but, alas, some of them had none, 
and still they wanted the bread. To want and 
to have are sometimes very closely allied in 
the army, so a linch-pin was slipped out, a 
wheel removed, and the whole load upset in 
the road. A general scramble was made for 
the scattered loaves and when the tumult was 
at its height General Burnside's carriage, in 
which he was escorting the President on a visit 
to one of the camps in the vicinity, suddenly 
appeared in the midst of it. The occupants of 
the carriage were instantly recognized and as a 
result the raiders scattered in every direction, 
each man, however, clinging tightly to his 
stolen loaf and endeavoring to put as much 
ground between himself and the carriage in as 



344 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

short a period of time as possible, in the hope 
that the letters and numbers denoting his com- 
pany, regiment, and State would not be noted. 
Each of the Zouaves instead of taking to flight 
like guilty things upon recognizing the occu- 
pants of the vehicle, as if moved by a common 
impulse, released the loaf which had been hid- 
den under his blouse, permitted it to fall to the 
ground at his feet, and assuming as uncon- 
cerned an expression of countenance as was 
possible under the circumstances, drew himself 
up and assuming the most approved " position 
of a soldier" received the distinguished, but 
nevertheless at that time unwelcome, visitors 
with a profound military salute. 

Burnside who had seen what was croins: on 
while the carriage was still some distance from 
the wrecked wagon began shouting at the men 
to cease their outrageous conduct. In fact they 
were so intent on the business in hand that 
had it not been for this shouting he could pro- 
bably have driven right into the midst of the 
crowd before they would have noticed him., 

As the raiders scattered over the fields the 
General at first shouted after them to come 
back ; but no, no ! He then turned to the 
group of expressionless but innocent looking 
Zouaves standing " at attention " on the side of 
the road, and with a great deal of gesticulation 



THE GOOD ZOUAVES. 34S 

and with considerable show of excitement, 
commanded "Go after those men and bring 
them back ! You New York men — you Zou- 
aves — go after those men ; arrest them ! Bring 
them back here!" 

The President neither said or did anything 
to indicate that he was especially interested in 
the affair, he simply looked on. 

Some of the boys thought the General rather 
overdid the thing, but they all started after the 
fleeing culprits with a great show of zeal and in 
a few minutes each one had overtaken and laid 
hands on a robber and brought him back to 
where the General was awaiting them. 

Burnside berated them soundly using de- 
cidedly pointed and vigorous language in 
doing it. He was astounded he said to learn 
that he had such men in his command ; that 
the army contained men who had profited so 
little by the teachings of discipline and who 
would so openly and shamelessly disobey 
orders. He nearly overwhelmed, with modest 
confusion, the meek and diffident looking Zou- 
aves when he pointed to them as examples of 
what good soldiers were and informed the 
crestfallen prisoners that here were men who 
would never so far demean themselves and dis- 
grace their uniforms as to rob a poor peddler of 
bread just because they happened at the 



346 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

moment to feel a little hungry. He finished 
by ordering the captors to turn their prisoners 
over to the provost guard. This, like good 
soldiers who always obey orders, they did. 
But they also reasoned that the probabilities 
were that more important matters would soon 
cause the General to forget this little affair, so, 
when the provost officer asked for information 
as to what the charges against the prisoners 
were, they informed him that they " didn't 
know," that General Burnside had directed 
them to turn them over to the provost guard, 
and that they thought it was for " straggling." 
Then with mixed feeling of sadness and ela- 
tion, sadness at the loss of the " soft tack " they 
still longed for, and elation because of the 
good but mistaken opinion General Burnside 
had expressed in reference to their soldierly 
qualities, etc., and because they had been en- 
abled to have such a close view and, they might 
say, protracted interview with the President of 
the nation, they betook themselves to the 
regimental camp to relate their adventure and 
embelish the same each according to his own 
fancy. 

The various changes of camp that had been 
made since the day of the battle had contin- 
ually removed the regiment farther away from 
the hospital where its wounded were. 



VISITING THE WOUNDED. 347 

About the time the last change of camp had 
taken place the wounded had also been col- 
lected and taken to a division hospital which 
had been established several miles in a direc- 
tion opposite to the one taken by the regiment. 
This made visiting the wounded a matter of 
considerable difficulty, both on account of time 
and distance, and was a serious hardship to 
both the wounded and those on duty. Brothers 
wished to see brothers, and friends and tent- 
mates were desirous of visiting and convers- 
ing with the wounded companions with whom 
they had marched and tented. There was no 
company in the regiment but had more than 
one set of brothers in it, and in many in- 
stances some of them were wounded while 
some escaped uninjured. In Company H, out 
of the three brothers Johnston, David was killed 
on the field, John died of his wounds in hos- 
pital, and Robert came out uninjured. In 
Company A, of the two Van Cotts and two 
Stages, one of each was wounded and one 
escaped. This was also the case with the 
Rassigas of Company C, and probably every 
company in the regiment had similar cases. 
It can easily be understood from these exam- 
ples how anxious the majority of the well men 
were to visit, or at least hear, regularly from 
the hospital. 



348 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

During and immediately after the battle the 
wounded were gathered together for treatment 
at the most convenient places, which were in 
nearly every instance the various farmhouses 
on the field and in the immediate vicinity of it. 
Surgeon Humphreys first established his field 
hospital at a point near Burnside's Bridge. 
When later in the day the rebel batteries 
opened fire on the bridge, with the object of 
preventing or delaying the crossing of troops, 
it proved to be in direct range and was sub- 
jected to a heavy fire. A good many casualties 
occurred among the wounded from this cause. 
Humphreys sent them away as quickly as he 
could, and the first suitable placed reached was 
Millers house. This was taken possession of 
and was soon filled with men having wounds 
of all kinds and degrees. Not only the dwell- 
ing but all the outhouses, sheds and other 
shelters were filled, while the orchard, door- 
yard and barnyard were crowded with them, 
both Union and Confederate. These men out- 
side were obliged to lie on the ground with 
absolutely no protection of any kind. Most of 
them without even blankets under them, and 
no roof save the blue sky over any of them. 
They, however, appeared to do better ; their 
progress toward convalescence was more rapid, 
and there were fewer deaths among them (other 



THE LONG TRAMP TO THE HOSPITAL. 349 

things being equal) than among those in the 
house. Surgeon Humphreys was so impressed 
with this fact that he seriously contemplated 
removing all his wounded to the open air. 

In the early part of October tents were 
erected at a placed called Locust Spring and 
a division hospital established there. The 
wounded from Miller's house and grounds 
were transferred to the new location. Not- 
withstanding the distance between the regi- 
ment and this hospital the men still continued 
to get passes from camp and take the long 
tramp to visit their suffering comrades. None 
of the boys had anything to bring, and had no 
way of procuring anything that would add to 
the comfort of the patients. All they had to 
offer was sympathy and cheering words. It 
was affecting and sometimes a little comical to 
observe the means taken by some of the vis- 
itors to cheer up the others. Like Traddles 
drawing skeletons for David Copperfield, to 
cheer him up when he learned of his mother's 
death. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball marched the reg- 
imental band all the way from camp one Sun- 
day to play for the sick boys. They gave their 
best selections of marching tunes and other 
music and devoted several hours to alternately 
playing and visiting from bed to bed, or to be 



350 NIN'IH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

more correct, from man to man, as there were 
no beds, all the men lying on the ground or on 
such makeshift protection from direct contact 
with mother earth as the soldier nurses could 
improvise out of the materials within reach. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball and several com- 
missioned officers, together with a number of 
enlisted men, accompanied the band on this 
occasion. Their presence had a good. effect on 
the wounded boys, who kept them busy an- 
swering questions about the regiment. The 
regiment appeared to be uppermost in the 
thoughts of each of them. They wanted to 
know how it looked on parade ; what number 
of men were present for duty ; what kind of a 
camp they had ; what Burnside and the other 
generals had said in their reports in relation to 
the charge of the regiment in the battle, and a 
hundred similar questions. It was always the 
regiment : its welfare, its esprit de corps and its 
standing and reputation in the corps and in the 
army. 

About this time Surgeon Humphreys was 
ordered on duty with the troops to act as divis- 
ion surgeon. While the boys were pleased to 
hear of his advance in rank and gratified that 
his worth as a man, and his professional skill 
as a surgeon were recognized and rewarded by 
the military authorities, still they did not like 



CROSSING ELK RIDGE. 35 1 



to see him go. Each man in the regiment re- 
posed the utmost confidence in his skill and 
judgment, and the wounded had perfect faith in 
his ability to " pull them through." Therefore, 
the knowledge that he was ordered away caused 
considerable uneasiness among them. 

He was succeeded by Dr. Squires, Chief Sur- 
geon of the 89th New York, a regiment of their 
own brigade. He proved to be a sympathetic 
man, a eood surgeon and an excellent executive 
officer. 

On October 7th the regiment again broke 
camp, crossed the mountain called Elk Ridge, 
and went into camp in Pleasant Valley. The 
climb over the mountain was an arduous one 
and somewhat trying on the men, as they were 
in heavy marching order and the way was rough 
and steep. They were repaid, however, in a 
measure, by the view, which, broadening and 
changing as they ascended, opened to them a 
more beautiful and varied panorama than it had 
been the fortune of many of these city-bred boys 
to have viewed before. The whole country lay 
spread below them like a picture, the undula- 
tions softened and the landscape beautified by 
distance. The villages of Sharpesburg, Kee- 
dysville and Boonsboro appeared like collec- 
tions of toy houses and churches, while the 
scattered farmhouses, each nestling beside its 



352 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

grove or orchard, assisted in completing a 
picture of a peaceful pastoral scene which was 
gratifying to the eye of these men so far sepa- 
rated from home and peace. It was hard to 
realize that only a few days since nearly two 
hundred thousand men had striven here in 
mortal combat. 

The new camp now occupied was found to 
be very favorably located and excellent in 
almost every respect. It was situated on the 
main road and had good terminal facilities. A 
fine stream of water flowed conveniently near, 
always a welcome as well as a necessary ad- 
junct to a camp. The weather was now getting 
quite cold, especially at night, and shelter tents 
were the only protection the men had. Rations 
were still deplorably insufficient, causing much 
inconvenience and some sufferine. 

The regiment remained in camp in Pleasant 
Valley until the 28th of the month. In the 
meantime Major Jardine had been relieved from 
the command of the 89th New York, to which 
he had been assigned at the opening of the 
campaign, and had returned to duty with the 
regiment. Lieutenant Bartholemew, of Com- 
pany B, had, since the battle, been appointed 
adjutant. The regular everyday routine of 
camp life, drills, guard-mounts, and parades 
was being followed when, on the 28th of Oc- 



AGAIN ON THE MARCH. 353 

tober, the " general " was again sounded, and 
tents were struck and the regiment started on 
the march after Lee and the army of Northern 
Virginia, which ended just one month later at 
the old campground of the preceding summer, 
opposite the city of Fredricksburg, Va. 



CHAPTER XII. 

CLOTHING AND CAMP EQUIPPAGE LEFT AT MERIDIAN 
HILL — CLEANLINESS — KNAPSACKS RECOVERED — 
KNAPSACK DRILL — HUNGER, COLD AND MARCHING 
— THREE COLUMNS ABREAST — COMPANY G AS 
HEADQUARTER'S GUARD — COMPANY K JOINS GEN- 
ERAL KAUTZ— GENERAL BURNSIDE RELIEVES GEN- 
ERAL McCLELLAN OF THE COMMAND OF THE ARMY 
— SCATTERING A QUARTERMASTER'S TRAIN— GOOD 
ARTILLERY SHOOTING — THANKSGIVING DAY AT 
FALMOUTH— BATTLE OF FREDRICKSBURG— STRAGG- 
LERS — WINTER QUARTERS IN VIRGINIA — ON TO 
FORTRESS MONROE. 

EVER since the opening of the campaign on 
September 7th, all the knapsacks belong- 
ing to the regiment, together with the company 
property, had lain piled together under the 
trees of Meridian Hill, covered with tarpaulins, 
unguarded and at the mercy of those "whom 
it might concern." Consequently neither offi- 
cers nor men had opportunity to change under- 
clothing. Each man's wardrobe consisted of 
just what he stood in. The only article of extra 
raiment provided was for the feet and nearly 
every man carried an extra pair of socks in his 



LAUNDRY WORK UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 355 

blanket roll. Some men were naturally im- 
provident and also inclined to be careless of 
personal cleanliness. These soon learned from 
experience on the long marches how necessary 
for their comfort was a due regard for the feet 
and that clean socks were necessary and a sim- 
ple expedient to that end. Lieutenant-Colonel 
Kimball had steadily and persistently insisted 
on the importance of this sort of cleanliness. As 
a result of these continual reminders all the 
men soon acquired a habit of exchanging soiled 
for clean socks whenever such a fortunate 
combination as a roadside halt and a conve- 
nient stream happened to favor them. Many a 
fist fight was caused by the failure of one man 
to properly respect the rights of another in this 
connection. There were those who thought- 
lessly and perhaps selfishly squatted down on 
the bank of the brook at times and began wash- 
ing the socks in which they had marched all 
day, within a foot or two of the spot where a 
comrade was industriously filling the canteens 
of his squad with drinking water. It was the 
general rule under such conditions to follow 
the practice of John Burns, of Gettysburg, " Be 
slow to argue but quick to act." 

The task of providing other articles of clean 
apparel was a more difficult one. The problem 
of clean shirts, for instance, was solved as fol- 



336 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

lows: The shirt was removed during a tempo- 
rary halt near a stream and washed. As the 
halt was seldom or never of sufficient length 
to permit the drying of the garment, it was 
spread over the naked shoulders of the owner 
and carried thus, he meanwhile marching along 
amid clouds of dust with the column. This 
cleansing process was, therefore, often ques- 
tionable and always comparative. It was com- 
forting to the men, however, for it inspired a 
belief that the garment was thereby rendered 
less inviting as a retreat for certain unwelcome 
and generally unmentionable invaders of the 
army blue. 

At the opening of the campaign the quarter- 
master's department had taken charge of the 
discarded knapsacks, and after the battle of 
Antietam had been fought and the campaign 
ended by the escape of Lee across the Potomac, 
they had been sent forward in pursuit of the 
army in an effort to deliver them to the various 
commands to which they belonged. 

When it became known that they had been 
so forwarded and that they were then some- 
where west of South Mountain, in the hands of 
those who were trying to find the owners, de- 
tails were sent out with instructions to find 
those belonging to the Ninth and bring them 
into camp. The first detail sent out was un- 



KNAPSACK DRILLS. 357 

successful. The next, however, was more 
fortunate and on the 8th of the month they 
returned with the long lost property. On the 
day following amid much rejoicing, the knap- 
sacks were distributed to the men. They were 
at once overhauled for changes of clothing and 
incidentally to ascertain how much property 
each unfortunate had been despoiled of by the 
quartermaster's men. 

The receipt of the knapsacks very soon 
proved to be anything but an unmixed blessing. 
Knapsack drills began to be very much in 
vogue much to the disgust of the men, who 
were frequently compelled to take long practice 
marches weighed down with all their earthly 
possessions. This was probably done for the 
purpose of getting them accustomed to moving 
in heavy marching order. 

The regular daily routine now was company 
drill in the mornings, knapsack drill in the 
afternoons, and always dress parade in the 
evenings. 

The weather was now becoming very unset- 
tled. There were a good many rainy days and 
several times falls of snow. Some of the latter 
might fairly be said to have attained the dignity 
of storms. 

The only means which the men of the regiment 
had for protection against the inclemency of the 



358 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

weather was the regular shelter-tent ; a piece 
of unbleached muslin two and a half yards 
long and a yard wide. A row of buttons along 
one side and end, and a row of button holes on 
the opposite ones, was the means by which two 
or more of them could be joined together for 
the purpose of making a tent or shelter of the 
desired size. These were utilized in every pos- 
sible way in order to provide the best protection 
possible against the storms of the season. 

The regiment continued an uncomfortable, 
hand-to-mouth existence, being short of rations 
nearly all the time, until the 28th of the month 
when, having received instructions to prepare 
for the event, the " general " was sounded, tents 
struck and a start made on the long and toil- 
some march through Virginia which ended only 
when it arrived at Falmouth Station on the 
opposite side of the river from Fredricksburg. 

During the greater part of this march — where 
conditions made it possible to do so — the army 
was moved in three columns, marching as 
nearly abreast of each other as was practicable. 
One of the columns occupied the road, while 
the others marched on either side of the road 
in the fields, keeping as near together as the 
conformation of the ground would permit. 
This order of march was changed each day by 
the column which had enjoyed the use of the 



MARCHING IN THREE COLUMNS. SS9 

road the day before taking the fields, while the 
others occupied the road alternately. 

The advantages gained by this system were 
many. Under it the army moved much more 
rapidly than it could have done in the single 
column formation. The various divisions 
and brigades were enabled to get out of 
camp in the morning at nearly the same time. 
It did away with the long tiresome waits which 
the center and left were compelled to endure in 
the mornings before the right of the line could 
get out of their way. It was equally advan- 
tageous at night. All the troops were able to 
bring their day's march to an end nearer 
together. The men of the center and rear were 
no longer obliged to stumble along hour after 
hour in the dark over bad roads, in order to 
reach camp where the troops on the right of the 
column had probably been since the afternoon 
or early evening. 

So far as the question of discomforts, or the 
opposite, was concerned, this march through 
Virginia was just the reverse of the one through 
Maryland. Then the weather was generally 
pleasant and the roads were always good. 
Now, the season being well advanced, the 
weather was very often stormy and the roads 
were always wretched. 

The enemy in front was always on the alert 



360 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and vigorously disputed the advance of the 
army by every means at his command. The 
troops were marched and countermarched con- 
tinously, and, in the opinion of the wearied men, 
without plan or reason, as they could not un- 
derstand why they should be repeatedly hurried 
back and forth over roads they had just 
traveled. Reveille was sounded at any un- 
reasonable hour in the morning — if, indeed, 
there had been any bivouac at all. Marching 
hither and thither, sometimes on the roads and 
sometimes across the fields in line of battle ; 
skirmishing with the enemy or standing in line 
for hours at a time, expecting momentarily to 
be ordered into action ; rain decended one 
day and snow the next; little to eat at any 
time and on many days nothing; wading 
ice-cold streams and plodding through mud, 
but always gaining something from the enemy 
and constantly pushing farther into the Con- 
federacy. In this way, after having crossed 
the Potomac at Berlin, they successively 
passed through Wheatland, Union, Upperville, 
Rectortown and Gascons Mills, which latter 
place was reached on the 7th of November. 
On the 31st of October, Company G of the 
regiment, (Captain Childs) had been detailed as 
headquarters guard for General Burnside. 
While the men were classed as being on the 



COMPANY G AT HEADQUARTERS. 361 

provost guard of the army, as a matter of fact, 
thev took no orders from anybody except the 
commanding general. The detail was con- 
sidered a great honor and a desirable one in 
every way. The company was relieved from 
the harrassing march and countermarch which 
was a necessity with the other troops. They 
were also in a position to have their requisi- 
tions for necessaries promptly honored, especi- 
ally those for rations. The men were con- 
sidered, in the vernacular of the camp as having 
a " soft thing," and were more or less envied 
by their less fortunate comrades. They con- 
tinued to act as headquarters guard until 
General Burnside was relieved of the command 
of the army. 

On November 3rd, Company K was ordered 
from the position which it had occupied on 
Bolivar Heights and sent to join General 
Kautz, who was about starting on an extended 
reconnoisance into the Shenandoah Valley 
It remained as part of his command until the 
regiment arrived at Fredricksburg. 

While the Ninth was in the vicinity of Gas- 
cons Mills, the ground was covered with snow. 
This added very much to the discomfort of 
the soldiers. They were obliged to remove 
it in some way, either with hands, feet or 
whatever could be found and utilized for the 



362 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

purpose, to scrape it off the places where 
their tents were to be pitched, before they 
could set them up and lie down to sleep. 

On the 8th of November, General McClellan 
was relieved from command of the army, being 
superseded by General Burnside. 

There was great rejoicing among the men 
of the 9th corps when this change of com- 
manders became known. 

Among the soldiers generally, there was a spe- 
cies of blind, bigoted loyalty to their respective 
commanders, as well as a sincere affection for 
them. There is very little doubt that almost 
every man in the army honestly and firmly 
believed that his own corps commander was 
one of the greatest, if not the greatest, military 
hero of the times. None of them would admit 
that when it came to planning battles or move- 
ments, or displaying skill in executing them, 
to say nothing about his bravery on the field, 
that there could be any question as to his 
superior ability when compared with any 
other corps commander in the army. This 
feeling, or at least the expression of it, was 
almost universal throughout the army. There- 
fore, there was rejoicing in the 9th corps when 
Burnside, its original, and up to that time, 
only commander was chosen as the head of 
the army. 



BURNSIDE SUPERSEDES McCLEELAN. 363 

Ever since the battle of Antietam there had 
been (in that corps, at least) a feeling of dis- 
satisfaction, and, it might almost be said, of dis- 
trust, of McClellan's honesty of purpose. The 
impression was gaining strength, gradually but 
surely, that it was not his intention nor wish to 
put down the rebellion by force of arms. The 
responsibility for the piecemeal and disjointed 
way in which the battle of Antietam had been 
fought, and especially the childish manner in 
which the attack by the left wing had been 
managed, was all — whether rightly or wrongly — 
charged against him. No one would admit 
that his own corps commander might pos- 
sibly have been incompetent or indifferent, or 
both, and was largely or perhaps entirely to 
blame for the failure to destroy the rebel army. 
The men knew fairly well what condition their 
army had been in on that night. They remem- 
bered that there was a whole corps which had 
not been engaged at all during the battle, 
and that notwithstanding this, Lee, with his 
trains and impedimenta, was permitted to cross 
the Potomac unmolested. Consequently, there 
were no regrets — on that part of the line, at 
least — when McClellan was superseded, while 
the fact that Burnside became his successor 
was hailed by the men of the corps with 
great satisfaction. 



364 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The army remained in this vicinity, with 
headquarters at Warrenton, for several days. 
There was considerable moving of troops hither 
and thither, however, as there was more or 
less skirmishing and cannonading going on 
all the while between the Union advance and 
the rear guard of the enemy, as well as on 
the right flank of the army. 

On the evening of the ioth it seemed that 
some movement of more than ordinary sig- 
nificance was abont being executed, as the 
Ninth was moved forward about two miles, 
and formed in line of battle at the base of a 
hill. It remained in that position shivering and 
miserable all night. Hour after hour passed, 
the men expecting momentarily to be either 
attacked or to attack. No fires were permitted, 
as they would have exposed the exact position 
to the enemy. Everybody in the regiment ex- 
perienced a great sense of relief when after a 
night of great discomfort morning at last broke, 
and no enemy appeared, they probably hav- 
ing fallen back during the night. The regi- 
ment was then withdrawn and returned to its 
former position. 

The Zouaves occupied, practically, the same 
bivouac until the 15th, when the general for- 
ward movement was resumed, the column in 
which they were being the center one and 



SHELLING THE WAGON TRAIN. 365 

occupying the road, with Hawkins' brigade in 
the lead. The line of march was now down 
the left bank of the Rappahannock. The 
command had not proceeded more than three 
or four miles, when it suddenly found itself 
approaching a scene of confusion the equal of 
which is seldom witnessed even in war. A 
rebel battery had taken position in a com- 
manding situation, on the other side of the 
river, and had opened a vigorous and des- 
tructive fire on a wagon train of commissary 
and quartermaster's supplies, which had been 
sent forward without an escort. The whole 
train had been thrown into confusion. It was 
a mass of struggling men and animals, with 
some broken wagons and wrecked stores. As 
the rebel battery was far beyond the range of 
the men's Springfields, the infantry was pow- 
erless to afford any protection. Colonel Haw- 
kins, instantly appreciating the gravity of the 
situation, hurriedly dispatched a messenger to 
General Wilcox, the Corps Commander, re- 
questing that Lieutenant Benjamin, the com- 
mander of the famous twenty-pounder Par- 
rott battery, so well known in the 9th corps, 
be hastened forward with his guns. Major 
Brackett, of Wilcox's staff, carried the order, 
and conducted Benjamin to the scene. In 
a few minutes he arrived, and securing a posi- 



366 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

tion on a promontory, concealed by a patch 
of low shrubs, the pieces were loaded, carefully 
sighted and elevated and the whole battery 
discharged almost simultaneously. The result 
was astounding to all beholders. A caisson 
was exploded, several men and horses killed 
or wounded, and the battery totally disabled. 
Benjamin had made a historic shot, and from 
that time on to Falmouth, the center column 
was permitted to march in peace. 

On Sunday, the 16th, the march was 
resumed, the command crossing Great River, 
passing through Fayette and Liberty, and 
around Warrenton Junction, and went into 
camp near the railroad. The next day it con- 
tinued the march in a drizzling rain, taking the 
direct road to Fredricksburg, and after cover- 
ing about twelve miles went into camp. At 
daybreak the next morning the regiment was 
again on the road. The enemy had disap- 
peared from the front. There had been 
neither cannonading nor skirmishing since the 
15th. 

On the 19th the regiment marched through 
Falmouth, crossed the railroad and encamped 
on the hill directly opposite the city of Fred- 
ricksburg. It was learned that the main body 
of the enemy was arriving and occupying the 
hills immediately behind or south of the city, 



IN CAMP A T FALMOUTH STA TION. 367 

and it was also ascertained that his pickets 
extended along the opposite bank of the 
Rappahannock, not only in the town itself, 
but both above and below it. 

Now that the army had at last arrived at 
Falmouth, which appeared for the present at 
least, to have brought the long march to an 
end, everybody was delighted. The prospect 
of at last getting into a permanent camp was 
very gratifying. The regiment had been on 
the move nearly every day since the 28th of 
October, th'e day on which it broke camp in 
Pleasant Valley. The men were nearly worn 
out physically, and were greatly in need of sup- 
plies of every kind, especially shoes and 
clothing. 

On the following day Company K rejoined 
the regiment after having been on duty with 
General Kautz's division in all its various 
movements and operations, since it first started 
on the march up the Shenandoah. 

On the 22d there was great activity noticeable 
throughout the camps. Batteries were being 
planted in positions which appeared to be 
favorable for shelling the enemy. Shots were 
exchanged with them during the day and as a 
result the troops that were exposed to the 
enemy's fire were moved farther back out of 
range of their guns. Orders for a forward 



368 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

movement were now expected daily. Every 
indication pointed to the probability that a great 
battle was very near. Day after day passed, 
however, but still the movement was delayed. 

The 27th day of November was Thanksgiving 
day. It was not telebrated by the Zouaves 
with any great degree of enthusiasm. Inasmuch 
as there was neither hardtack nor coffee in their 
camp that day, and as they were obliged to go 
hungry, they failed to properly grasp the idea 
of the propriety of being particularly thankful. 
On the contrary they gave themselves up fully 
to indulging in a general growl, and devoted 
themselves unreservedly to the exhilarating 
and pleasant recreation of d — ing the quarter- 
master, both individually and collectively, for 
the rest of the day. While this did not allay 
their hunger, it nevertheless gave them the only 
satisfaction obtainable at that time. 

Early in the morning of the nth of Decem- 
ber, the regiment was aroused without reveille, 
the men being awakened quietly by the mem- 
bers of the guard. The long looked for order 
for the attack on Fredricksburg had come at 
last. 

The day opened with a bombardment on a 
most gigantic scale. The thunder of the guns 
and the bursting shells seemed to make the 
solid earth quake. Outside of this there was 



LAYING THE PONTOONS. 369 

little to be seen. The troops were mostly 
hidden in the woods and hollows of the ground 
out of view of the enemy, and were waiting 
patiently for the completion of the pontoon 
bridges upon which they were to cross the river. 
From unforeseen causes these bridges, which 
should have been laid the night before were 
delayed. When daylight came the rebel 
sharpshooters, who had excellent cover in the 
houses of the town near the river, effectually 
stopped all work on them. Notwithstand- 
ine the terrific character of the bombard- 
ment it was as ineffective against them as 
artillery usually is against infantry so pro- 
tected. The smoke from the guns settled 
down and almost completely hid the city and 
the opposite hills. The river had to be crossed 
and it became necessary to detail regiments 
to cross in pontoon boats and storm the posi- 
tions occupied by the sharpshooters. 

The honor of successfully performing this 
difficult task is now claimed by the survivors 
of many regiments. As a matter of fact official 
records and authoritive statements show that 
the gallant exploit was performed by several 
different regiments at widely separated points, 
where the various bridges were being laid, and 
without any of them knowing that the same 
thing was being done by other commands. 



370 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

A careful examination of the official reports 
relating to the earlier operations in this battle 
will show that probably the first regiments to 
respond to the call for volunteers and to cross 
the river in this way, were the Seventh Michi- 
gan and Twentieth Massachusetts, both of 
Howard's division, who rowed themselves over 
in pontoons, at the upper end of the city and 
dislodged Barkdale's Mississippi sharpshooters 
and occupied the positions from which they had 
harrassed the bridge builders. 

When it became apparent that, under the 
heavy and accurate fire from the sharpshooters, 
it would be impossible for the engineers to lay 
the bridge over which the 3d division was 
to cross the river, the 89th New York, of 
the 1st brigade (Hawkins') was sent over in 
boats to dislodge them from their strong posi- 
tion in the houses opposite. This duty was 
performed in gallant style, the other regiments 
of the brigade covering the movement as well 
as possible. The 89th, after a hot fight, in 
which they captured sixty-five prisoners, suc- 
ceeded in dislodging the sharpshooters and 
occupying the position, thereby permitting the 
laying of the bridge to be completed and a 
crossing made practicable. That evening, the 
brigade to which the Ninth belonged, after 
some light fighting occupied the lower part of 



ON PICKE T AT FREDERICKSB URG. 371 

the city, taking position in one of the streets 
which ran parallel with the river, where the 
men slept on their arms through the night. 
Company D was thrown forward as a picket, 
and a guard, under command of Lieutenant 
Webster, was posted in the outskirts of the 
town. The night was very cold and the men 
suffered much from this cause. They were 
not allowed to leave the ranks to seek shelter 
in the neighboring houses, and a chilling fog 
penetrated the clothing and seemed to pierce 
the very marrow of their bones. Severe fight- 
ing was going on nearly all the following 
day outside the city, but the Ninth was not 
sent forward to take part in it but remained 
in about the first position occupied until dark. 
The fog settled closer and at times was so 
dense that nothing could be seen of the 
position or movement of either side. 

About 8 p.m., the Ninth was ordered on 
picket, relieving the 103d New York. The 
outer line was on the plain outside the city 
and within about one hundred and fifty yards 
of that of the enemy, though the fog obscured 
the exact position. Under such conditions 
there was no sleep for the men not on post, 
and the time wore heavily on, without even 
the excitement which picket firing might 
afford. The night was passed in general 



372 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

gloom and depression. Some sharp fighting 
had taken place on the preceding day, but on 
the 13th the battle had raged fiercely and con- 
tinuously from morning until night. Brigade 
after brigade, and division after division, had 
been sent in, relieving others as they became 
depleted or partly or wholly broken up and 
demoralized by the terrible fire of artillery and 
musketry. The fighting had been of the most 
sanguinary character, but the positions de- 
fended by the enemy were naturally so strong 
and had been so scientifically fortified that it 
seemed impossible to make any impression on 
them. Line after line went gallantly forward 
to the attack, but as soon as each one came 
within range of the enemy's well posted artil- 
lery and strong lines of infantry, it melted 
away under the furious storm of bullets 
broken up and demoralized ; the survivors 
seeking shelter in the hollows or behind the 
inequalities of the ground, where they kept up 
a steady fire against the enemy until opportu- 
nities came to relieve them. 

The following extracts from General Couch's 
article entitled " Sumner's Right Grand Div- 
ision," will give the reader an idea of the 
character of the fighting as seen by him, with the 
frightful losses sustained by the troops while 
powerless to inflict any serious damage on the 



ADVANCE OF THE SECOND CORPS. 373 

enemy. General Couch was the commander of 
the Second Corps, but at the battle of Fred- 
ricksburg was temporarily in command of the 
Right Grand Division of the army: 

"Early the next morning, Saturday the 13th, 
I received orders to make an assault in front. 
My orders came from General Sumner, who 
did not cross the river during the fight, owing 
to a special understanding. 

" General French was at once directed to 
prepare his division in three brigade lines for 
the advance, and General Hancock was to 
follow with his division in the same order. 
The distance between the successive brigade 
lines was to be about two hundred yards. 

Towards ten o'clock the fog began to lift ; 
French reported that he was ready. I signaled 
to Sumner and about eleven o'clock the move- 
ment was ordered to begin. French threw out 
a strong body of skirmishers, and his brigades 
filed out of town as rapidly as possible by two 
parallel streets. * * * On the outskirts of 
town the troops encountered a ditch, or canal, 
so deep as to be almost impassable except 
at the street bridges, and one of the latter being 
partly torn up, the troops had to cross in single 
file on the stringers. Once across the canal 
the troops deployed under the bank bordering 
the plain over which they were to charge. 



374 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

This plain was obstructed here and there by 
houses and fences, notably at a fork of the 
telegraph road, in the narrow angle of which 
was a cluster of houses and gardens ; and also 
on the parallel road just south of it, where 
stood a large, square brick house. This cluster 
of houses and the brick house were the rally- 
ing points for parts of our demolished lines of 
attack. The forks of the road and the brick 
house were less than one hundred and fifty 
yards from the stone wall, which covered also 
as much more of the plain to the left of the 
brick house. A little in advance of the brick 
house a slight rise in the ground afforded pro- 
tection to men lying down against the 
musketry behind the stone wall, but not against 
the converging fire of the artillery on the 
heights. My headquarters were in the field on 
the edge of the town, overlooking the plain. 
# * # French's division charged in the 
order of Kimball's, Andrew's and Palmer's 
brigades. Hancock followed them in the order 
of Zook's Meagher's and Caldwell's brigades. 

"Without a clear idea of the state of affairs at 
the front, since the smoke and light fog veiled 
everything, I sent word to French and Hancock 
to carry the enemy's works by storm. Then I 
climbed the steeple of the courthouse and from 
above the haze and smoke got a clear view of 



AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK. 375 



the field. Howard, who was with me, says I 
exclaimed, ' Oh, great God ! see how our men, 
our poor fellows, are falling!' I remember that 
the whole plain was covered with men, pros- 
trate and falling, the live men running here 
and there, and in front closing upon each 
other, and the wounded coming back. The 
commands seemed to be mixed up. I had 
never before seen fighting like that; nothing 
approaching it in terrible uproar and destruc- 
tion. There was no cheering on the part of 
the men, but a stubborn determination to obey 
orders and do their duty. I don't think there 
was much feeling of success. As they charged 
the artillery fire would break their formation, 
and they would get mixed; then they would 
close up, go forward, receive the withering in- 
fantry fire, and those who were able would run 
to those houses and do all they could, and then 
the next brigade coming up in succession would 
do their duty and melt. It was like snow 
coming down and melting on warm ground. 

" Soon after four o'clock, or about sunset, while 
Humphreys was at work, Getty's division* 
of Wilcox's Corps was ordered to the charge 
on our left by the unfinished railroad. I could 
see them being dreadfully cut up. * * * I 
determined to send a battery upon the plain to 

*The division to which Hawkins' brigade belonged. 



376 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

shell the line that was doing them so much 
harm, so I ordered an aid to tell Colonel Mor- 
gan to send a battery across the canal and plant 
it near the brick house. 

" Morgan came to me and said : ' General, a 
battery can't live there.' I replied : ' Then it 
must die there.' 

" Hazard took his battery out in gallant style 
and opened fire on the enemy's lines to the left 
of the Marye House. Men never fought more 
gallantly, and he lost a great many men and 
horses. * * * 

" That night was bitter cold and a fearful one 
for the front line hugging the hollows of the 
ground, and for the wounded who could not be 
reached. It was a night of dreadful suffering. 
Many died of wounds and exposure, and as 
fast as men died they stiffened in the wintry air, 
and on the front line were rolled forward for 
protection to the living. Frozen men were 
placed as dumb sentries. 

" Again my corps bivouacked in the town 
and were not allowed fires lest they should 
draw the fire of the enemy's artillery." 

When Getty's division, of which Hawkins' 
brigade was a part, was ordered forward to take 
part in the assault of the enemy's line, it was 
late in the afternoon. At about the same time 
the Fifth Massachusetts Battery was ordered 



AD VANCING TO SUPPOR T THE BA TTER Y. 377 

to the extreme front in a desperate endeavor to 
render efficient assistance to the charging 
troops, who were being literally torn to pieces 
by the fire from the guns mentioned by General 
Couch. The Ninth Regiment was detached 
from the brigade and ordered forward to sup- 
port it. It appears not to have been the inten- 
tion to detail the Ninth for this duty, as 
Colonel Hawkins, in his report to General Getty, 
says: "Owing to a misapprehension of your 
orders, the Ninth New York Volunteers were 
ordered to support a battery and did not par- 
ticipate in the advance made by the brigade." 
The order to support the battery, come from 
whatever source it did, was received just about 
dark, and the regiment moved forward " By the 
right of companies to the front," at a double 
quick, through yards and gardens, over fences 
and other obstructions, through the outskirts of 
the city, and over the plain beyond, and suc- 
ceeded in gaining a position just below the 
crest of a low ridge which afforded partial pro- 
tection from the fire of the enemy's artillery. 
The regiment held its ground here while ex- 
posed to a withering fire both from the front 
and right flank, with no opportunity to reply 
to it, simply being obliged to hug the ground 
and take whatever the fortune of war had in 
store for it until the battery was totally disabled 



378 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

by the loss of men and horses and was obliged 
to retire. 

At about ten o'clock the regiment was ordered 
to fall back, which it did to an open field 
outside the city, where it bivouacked. 

The total loss of the regiment in this battle 
— killed, wounded and missing — numbered 
only fifteen, which is a very light one when 
the dreadful slaughter of men throughout 
the army as a whole is considered. The loss 
of the ist Brigade, without counting that 
of the Ninth, amounted to two hundred and 
forty-three men. If the Ninth had advanced 
with the brigade to the assault, instead of 
having been ordered to support the battery, 
and if its loss had been no greater than the 
average in the rest of the brigade, it would 
have amounted to eighty-one men. The reg- 
iment was, therefore, very fortunate, when the 
matter of loss is considered, in having been 
detached from the brigade just before the 
attack was ordered. 

The night was again bitterly cold. No fires 
were permitted, and everyone was on the qui 
vive, as it was rather expected that the enemy 
would make a counter-attack. It was a night 
of great discomfort and anxiety, and a sleep- 
less one for all. 



DEFEA TED BUT NOT DISHEAR TEN ED. 379 

Just before daybreak the regiment was with- 
drawn from the advance position occupied, 
and fell back into the city, taking position in 
one of the streets, where it remained all day 
and the following night. During the night 
permission was granted the men to enter the 
houses for shelter, and all except Jthe guard 
availed themselves of it, and secured a much 
needed rest and sleep. 

There was very little firing from either side 
during the night. Both armies were so thor- 
oughly exhausted by the marching, fighting 
and waiting of the three preceding days that 
an involuntary truce was accepted by both the 
tired combatants. 

On the next day the Zouaves again re- 
mained under arms, in the street, until about 
ten o'clock at night, when the regiment was 
quietly withdrawn, and marched silently to the 
river. Recrossing by the same pontoon bridge 
by which it had entered Fredricksburg, it re- 
gained the old camp which all had left with 
such high hopes, on the morning of the 
nth. Tired, hungry and beaten, though no 
man would give utterance to the latter as a 
conviction, they marched into the old camp, but 
still ready to try it again when the oppor- 
tunity presented itself. 



380 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

History dignifies by the name of War all 
periods of human strife when large bodies of 
men assemble with the avowed object of 
taking the lives of their adversaries. The 
popular conception regarding war — the one 
which seems to occupy even the mind of 
the intelligent and peace-loving citizen — is a 
vague, confused jumble of parade and glitter, 
guns and drums, noise and glory, clanking 
swords and gleaming bayonets, and especially 
and above all, excitement. Many thousands of 
men are supposed to be engaged, as with one 
accord, in performing the most brilliant move- 
ments or heroic acts, all inspired by the noblest 
impulses. The press, the rostrum, and part 
of the pulpit are largely responsible for this — 
not more in declaring it than in omitting to 
state all the truth. They have, then, rhetor- 
ically plastered the subject with glory — that 
superficial flow of words which means noth- 
ing. It is not, therefore, strange that the 
average citizen adheres to the fallacy, which 
he elevates to the dignity of a belief, that all 
who enlist in the army in time of war at once 
become subjects for admiration and respect. 

General Sherman defined war as " hell "; and 
again, "War is barbarism ; you can't human- 
ize it." If " war is hell," it is the habitation 
of Satan and his minions. It invites the im- 



STRA GGLERS AND PL UNDERERS. 381 

moral, the vicious, the depraved, the dishonor- 
able, the base, because it makes possible the 
pursuit of their various rascalities under the 
guise of patriotism. A soldier's uniform often 
clothes a rascal. Apparel does not change 
one's character ; and if the soldier was dishon- 
orable as a citizen, he continued so as a soldier. 
The citizen who enjoyed the respect and confi- 
dence of those who knew him at home, who 
strove to do his duty to his family, his neigh- 
bors and the State, and who enlisted from a 
sense of duty, became as good a soldier as he 
was a citizen. These remarks are intended 
to remind the reader of the presence in the 
army of the lawless element, who sought that 
field because it promised a larger opportunity 
for evil and a less degree of liability to appre- 
hension and punishment. 

There was always a certain percentage of 
nearly every command who took advantage 
of the confusion while their officers were en- 
gaged in performing the manifold duties which 
always accompany the movements of troops, to 
slip away from their companies unobserved and 
become stragglers. Some seized this opportu- 
nity to avoid the dangers of the battle by 
skulking in the rear, rejoining their companies 
after the fighting was over, and then ostenta- 
tiously related the acts of bravery they per- 



382 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

formed during the engagement If any ques- 
tion was raised as to the whereabouts of one of 
these men at a specified time, he had only to 
claim that he was anywhere on the battlefield 
except in the immediate vicinity of the ques- 
tioner. Of course, evidence was abundant and 
easily produced to prove the presence of a 
soldier in line of battle during action; but in 
the absence of roll-call, no officer or enlisted 
man could prove that the suspected straggler 
was not present somewhere at any given time, 
and this class of men understood this per- 
fectly. 

The fighting outside the city, along the base 
of the hills, was of such a determined and 
bloody character, that the skulkers soon found 
it was no place for them, and the whole twenty- 
five per cent, of the troops at the front, which 
Sheridan said was the percentage of men who 
were useless when the fighting began, together 
with the skulkers from the reserves and sup- 
ports, were soon straggling throughout the 
city. 

Some stragglers simply pilfer — take such 
articles as come under their notice, perhaps with 
the thought that if he does not take it others 
will. Some, with the robber instinct more 
strongly developed, enter houses, either by 
force or stealth, in search of plunder. Others 



"BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS." 383 

rob the persons of the dead lying on the battle- 
field or commit the various other kinds of 
misdemeanors which opportunity offers or a 
vicious instinct prompts. These acts form a 
part of the " hell " General Sherman had in 
mind when he defined war. They are also 
what the after-dinner orator advocates when he 
glibly talks of the benefits of " a little blood- 
letting to the body politic." Of course, he 
doesn't mean his own. but some other person's 
blood. They are what the so-called statesman 
sanctions when he howls about the " rust of 
peace," or, when with contempt, he alludes to 
the " commercial spirit which smothers the 
warlike instinct." They are the acts which 
have the approval of certain divines, when they 
pervert the teachings of the Master they pre- 
tend to serve by preaching the " righteousness 
of war," blasphemously asserting that God's 
blessing attends it. 

While the Ninth was in Fredricksburg the 
city appeared to be full of plunderers. Numbers 
of men were seen loaded with goods of every 
kind and description. Some articles might 
have been of use to the possessor, but many 
could not in any way be of the slightest utility. 
Men wrapped in quilts, blankets, and comforters 
to protect them from the biting wind, stood in 
line with their commands or lounged in the 



384 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

shelter of the buildings. The guards, and also 
the officers and men not on guard, were con- 
stantly compelling the plunderers to give up 
their booty. These articles were left in the 
streets as it was impracticable to return them to 
their original owners. At the several bridge 
heads great piles of goods accumulated as the 
provost guard stopped the stragglers in their 
attempts to cross the river, and made them 
disgorge their plunder there. While it is not 
literally true that the city was crowded with 
stragglers and plunderers, still there was plenty 
of them. 

While the reserves were stationed in the 
streets, the vicious minority among the strag- 
glers were kept in check by a wholesome fear 
of consequences which would follow should 
any of them be detected in the perpetration of 
nefarious acts. When such acts were discov- 
ered, good soldiers (by which is meant an over- 
whelming majority of all those in the service, 
both commissioned and enlisted) would not, 
and did not hesitate to take the law into their 
own hands and put a stop to them in a sum- 
mary manner. But when the troops were 
being withdrawn and the different sections of 
the city left entirely unprotected, the vicious 
and criminal had full sway. 



SERGEANT SEARING'S OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL. 385 

During the last night in Fredricksburg, 
when the men of the Ninth were given per- 
mission to seek shelter from the cold in the 
houses, a number of Company D's men occu- 
pied one in which the female members of the 
family still remained, having faith in the 
chivalry of the Yankee soldiers and nerved by 
the natural desire to protect their homes and 
property. Their confidence was not misplaced, 
as, during their stay of about twenty hours the 
men treated them with the utmost considera- 
tion and courtesy, and made their own occu- 
pation of the premises as inoffensive as pos- 
sible. 

After the regiment had crossed the river 
on the night it evacuated the city, Sergeant 
Searing, who had been one of the occupants 
of the house above mentioned, discovered 
that he had forgotten some papers, diaries, 
etc., which he had left at the house in the 
hurry of departure. Recrossing the river and 
proceeding there to recover them, he arrived 
just in time to protect the women of the house 
from abuse, as three stragglers had entered 
but a few moments before, and, finding the in- 
mates unprotected and helpless, were about to 
assault them when Searing entered. The 
Sergeant's unexpected appearance, and his 
authoritative and peremptory demeanor as he 



386 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

ordered the ruffians out of the place and to 
their regiments, probably conveyed the im- 
pression that he had a guard outside, as the 
assaulting party slunk away at once and disap- 
peared in the darkness. Sergeant Searing's 
only guard just then was a firm belief in the 
everlasting right, backed up by a stout heart 
and a good Springfield musket. 

After quieting the frightened women by 
assurances that there would be no further 
cause for alarm, that their own friends — the 
Johnnies — would soon come in and occupy 
the town, together with other reassuring state- 
ments, he secured his lost papers, and recrossed 
the river, being probably the last man of the 
Ninth in the city, and reached the regiment in 
safety. 

Colonel Hawkins did what he could to 
check lawlessness in that part of the city 
occupied by him. He called the attention of 
General Howard to the acts of men who be- 
longed to his (Howard's) command, with a 
view of having the latter take measures to 
maintain order. Howard's answer was : " Sol- 
diers are not expected to be angels." Haw- 
kins afterward established a guard along a 
brook, which was a kind of general dividing 
line between the corps, and would not allow 
any of Howard's men to come into that part 
of the city occupied by his brigade. 



COLONEL KIMBALL'S REPORT. 387 

The following is Colonel Kimball's official 
report of the part taken by the 9th New 
York Volunteers in the battle of Fredericks- 
burg: 

Camp Opposite Fredericksburg, Va. 

December 16, 1862. 

Colonel : — I herewith have the honor to report that, in compliance 
with your orders, I left this camp on the evening of the nth instant, 
crossed the Rappahannock to Fredericksburg, and bivouacked, occupy, 
ing the main street for about one block and a half north of the rail- 
road, throwing Company D forward to the enemy's front as picket. 
Immediately upon taking position I established a strong guard upon 
the sidewalks and both flanks of my command, with instructions to 
allow no one to enter a house or destroy or take away a single article 
from that portion of the street in which we were stationed, which 
order, I am happy to say, was literally obeyed during our entire occu- 
pancy of that position. 

At seven o'clock of the evening of the 12th, the entire regiment was 
ordered to the front on picket duty, and did not again return to that 
portion of the town. 

At daylight on the morning of the 13th, I was relieved from picket, 
and returned to town near the lower pontoon bridge, where I re- 
mained until about 6 p.m., when in obedience to your orders, I ad- 
vanced my command, under a heavy fire of artillery, to the brow of 
the hill in front of the enemy, to the support of the Fifth Massachu- 
setts Battery. I here received your orders to halt, which I did, and 
remained in support of the above battery, as directed, till it was dis- 
abled and retired past us from the field. At this point the fire of 
shell and shrapnel was tremendous, totally disabling the battery, and 
killing one and wounding eight men of my command. I then received 
your orders to return to the lower part of the city and bivouac, which 
I did, remaining in that position during the night. 

The next day, 14th, we were ordered into quarters, where we re- 
mained till the evening of the 15th, when we were ordered to recross 
the river and return to our old camp at this place, where we arrived 
about eleven o'clock at night. 

I would beg leave to call attention to the following officers, which 
list embraces all of those engaged with the regiment during the action 
of the 13th ; Captain Barnett, acting major ; Adjutant Bartholomew, 
Captains LeBaire, Graham, Rodriquez, and Klingsoehr ; Lieutenants 
Harrison, Webster, Fleming, Powell, Donaldson, Jacobsohn, Vogt and 
Jackson. 



388 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

I can say no more than that all behaved in the most admirable 
manner, and are entitled to great credit for gallantry and coolness 
under fire. The men obeyed every order with alacrity and prompt- 
ness, and are entitled to the commendation of their officers and the 
thanks of their countrymen for their courage and coolness on this as 
well as other occasions. 

Below is a list of killed, wounded and missing. 
******** 
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 
Your obedient servant, 

E. A. KIMBALL, 

Lieutenant-Colonel, 
Commanding Ninth New York Volunteers. 
Colonel R. C. Hawkins, 

Commanding First Brigade. 

After regaining their own side of the river 
and re-establishing the old camp and devo- 
ting a few days to recuperative rest, the or- 
dinary routine of camp life was resumed — 
drills and reviews being the order of the 
day. Camp life under tents in a Virginia 
winter is, or was, decidedly unpleasant. The 
changes in weather conditions were very 
marked, the extremes of cold and heat, of 
snow and rain, following each other in rapid 
succession. Such protection as the troops 
were able to provide for themselves had to 
be improvised out of their shelter tents, sup- 
plemented with such other material as could 
be procured about camp or in the near vicinity. 
During this period Uncle Sam was not very 
prodigal in providing for the comfort of the 
soldiers. He was busily engaged in more im- 
portant matters. The men were alive, and 



AN OCCASIONAL " GROWL." 389 

should have been satisfied. They received pay 
occasionally, and sometimes, but not often, 
got full rations. Notwithstanding their de- 
privations, there were practically no expres- 
sions of serious discontent. The army was 
composed of citizens of the average class, but 
with more than the average intelligence, and 
they understood and appreciated the difficul- 
ties under which the Government labored. 
Nearly, if not all, the soldiers realized that the 
officials at Washington and elsewhere were 
doing the best they could under the circum- 
stances. The men growled occasionally about 
the pay not coming and about the scarcity 
of " grub," as all kinds of food was classified, 
but it was only a soldier's growl, and in 
many instances the man who growled the 
loudest would march farthest, fight the hardest, 
and go without food the longest. 

The field encampment of an army in active 
service, in the winter, is very far from being a 
neatly and systematically arranged place, clean, 
fresh, and pleasant to the eye. It is not such 
as one sees in the usual summer camp, where 
there is an ample supply of roomy tents 
arranged symetrically in column with the 
tents of the officers in their proper position 
and everything about it bright, fresh and 
orderly. In the presence of the enemy the 



390 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

location of the camp is rarely an ideal one and 
seldom a matter of choice. Tents must be 
pitched and camps located with a view to the 
exigency of the situation. Hillsides and ra- 
vines must be utilized as well as the more 
level ground. As a consequence many of the 
regimental camps were by reason of surface 
conditions, very irregular in their formation. 
It was not always practicable to conform to 
the strict rules and plans of camp enjoined by 
the regulations. The irregularity in appear- 
ance was heightened by the fact that at this 
period of the war there was little or no 
uniformity in the tents issued to the troops. 
Occasionally part of a regiment or possibly a 
company here and there was supplied with 
wall, Sibley or A tents, while others, and by 
far the greater number, had to be contented 
with the regular shelter, or dog tent, which 
was originally intended only for shelter while 
the soldier was actually on the march. The 
ingenuity displayed by the men in constructing 
comparatively comfortable quarters out of the 
material at hand was really remarkable. One 
method was to excavate a celler three or four 
feet deep, over which the tent (if of the wall 
or A pattern) was set up. This arrangement 
was warmer and furnished greater head room 
than if the tent had been simply pitched on 



WINTER QUARTERS ARCHITECTURE. 391 

the ground in the usual way, while it also 
admitted of having a fire, which was not 
practicable in a tent erected on the surface. 
In the latter case there was no outlet for the 
smoke unless the tent itself was left open. 
With the cellar attachment a horizontal hole 
was made in the earth in the side of the 
cellar wall, generally opposite the entrance, of 
sufficient size to serve as a fire-place. From 
the fire-place a perpendicular opening was 
carried to the surface for a flue, over which a 
chimney, either of empty barrels or of clay and 
sticks was built, high enough to safely conduct 
the smoke and heated air from the fire above 
the ridge-pole of the tent, thereby lessening 
the chances of fire. If the builders of the 
habitation had only shelter tents as a founda- 
tion for their work they built a log structure 
high enough to give, with the cellar included, 
sufficient height ; gable ends were carried up, 
light pole rafter laid on these and the shelter 
tents buttoned together, stretched over for a 
roof. 

If the ground was not suitable for a cellar, 
by reason of being too wet, or so stony as to 
be too difficult to excavate, the log structure 
was put up on the surface. If the builders 
possessed a tent, the log pen need be only 
three or four feet high; then with the tent 



392 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

pitched securely on top of the low wall they 
had a house high enough to enable them to 
move around in comfortably. If they had only 
their individual shelter tents to help out with, 
the walls had to be carried up to the height of 
a man and roofed with the buttoned tents as 
in the first example. 

Making provisions for a fire was much more 
difficult when the above-ground style of archi- 
tecture was adopted. It was necessary to leave 
an opening in one side of the log structure 
about two or three feet square for a fire-place. 
The hearth was outside of the wall, after the 
plan almost universally followed in the South, 
the fire-place being an oven-shaped structure 
of earth, or of earth and stones, with a chimney 
of the usual kind erected over it. 

When one of these houses was well banked 
with earth, the openings between the logs well 
chinked with clay, and a good fire burning 
on the hearth, there was a surprising degree of 
solid comfort in it. To a man coming off 
guard where he had been exposed to the rain 
or snow for twenty-four hours it certainly 
seemed like homely luxury. 

The general appearance of camp could not 
be said to be inviting to one unaccustomed to 
it. The stranger viewing it, or even the con- 
valescent returning after an absence more or 



HOW IT L OOKED. 393 

less protracted, saw that there had been no 
attempt at architectural uniformity. Indeed, 
this would have been impossible with the 
materials at hand. 

As he gazed at the various structures 
throughout the camps, with their canvas roofs 
discolored by various kinds of dirt stains, and 
with their gaping rents caused by storms or 
black margined holes burned by sparks from 
their own chimneys, in some cases patched 
with stray bits of old rubber blankets or odd 
pieces of discarded tent cloth of almost every 
hue, he would not have been inclined to wor- 
ship it as at a shrine of beauty. A nearer view 
disclosed mud everywhere, banked up against 
the houses and plastered between the logs to 
keep out the cold; piles of earth which had 
been removed in making the ditches which 
surrounded every house to deflect the water 
during storms were visible everywhere. The 
company streets were oftentimes little better 
than quagmires, and tramping about through 
it all, were disconsolate looking soldiers, the 
blue of their uniforms turned to a dark brown 
by the pine smoke of the guard fires around 
which they had huddled all winter. The 
stranger within its gates would conclude that 
the two words in the English language which 
best described the camp were " squalor " and 
" wretchedness." 



394 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

There were exceptions here, however, as there 
are in almost everything. 

Many of the soldiers who were encamped on 
the " Brick house hill " that winter will remem- 
ber a camp which was just the opposite in 
general appearance to those which have been 
described here. It was the camp of a Maine 
regiment, the number of which cannot now be 
recalled. It was located on fairly level ground, 
at a considerable distance northwest of the 
" Philips House," where General Sumner had 
his headquarters, and on a spot from which all 
the trees had not yet been removed. This 
gave it a sheltered appearance and invested it 
with an air of comfort. Each company street 
was formed of two rows of neatly built, com- 
fortable looking log houses, roofed with shelter 
tents. Everything about them and throughout 
the camp presented an appearance of extreme 
neatness and regularity, one might almost say 
of thrift. Everything had been done in a sub- 
stantial and workmanlike manner by men who 
had been accustomed to the woods and were 
past masters in the art of chopping. 

Upon suddenly coming into this camp, 
without having any previous knowledge of its 
existence, the visitor might well imagine that 
he was entering a well regulated and conducted 
New England village. 



THE "MUD MARCH." 395 



The monotony of camp life was soon unex- 
pectedly broken by an attempt to resume offen- 
sive operations against Lee. This is what is 
known among soldiers generally as the "Mud 
March." Evidently there was to be an attempt 
made to turn Lee's left by a rapid move up and 
across the Rappahannock by the upper fords. It 
proved to be a lamentable failure, however, but 
not through any fault or error on the part of the 
general commanding. The movement had no 
sooner been decided upon and its execution 
begun than the weather suddenly became mild. 
The frozen ground was transformed into mud, 
" the rains descended and the floods came," 
and the army, or such part of it as had already 
started on the march, found itself literally stuck 
in the mud, unable to move the field artillery, 
and the attempt had to be abandoned. 

The movement had not progressed far enough 
to involve the division to which the Ninth be- 
longed in it, and consequently it did not break 
camp and, therefore, were saved from a most 
unpleasant experience. 

On the 26th of January, 1863, the whole regi- 
ment was brought together for the first time in 
nearly eight months. On that day Company 
" F " (Captain Hammill) returned from duty at 
Plymouth, N. C, and Company " G " (Captain 
Childs) from duty as body guard to General 
Burnside, both reporting to the regiment. 



396 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

February 5th, the Ninth Corps received 
orders to proceed to Fortress Monroe, and on 
the 7th at sunrise, the Ninth New York struck 
tents, marched to the railroad station, took the 
cars for Aquia Creek, boarded the transport 
" Robert Morris," and at about two o'clock p. m. 
started down the Potomac on the way to Old 
Point Comfort. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

ESTABLISHMENT OF CAMP AT NEWPORT NEWS — THE 
NINTH ASSIGNED AS PROVOST GUARD — CONCEN- 
TRATING TROOPS — SUTLERS' TRIALS — RUM AS A 
DISTURBER OF MARTIAL DISCIPLINE — REVIEW OF 
THE NINTH CORPS— HORSE RACING AND BASEBALL 

— ENROUTE TO FORTRESS MONROE AND PORTS- 
MOUTH—TELEGRAMS—BORROWED TENTS IN SUF- 
FOLK—AN UNWARRANTED TRAGEDY — THE USE 

— OF COUNTERSIGNS — DEATH OF BRIGADIER-GEN- 
ERAL CORCORAN — OMINOUS THUNDERS OF MUTINY 
CALMED BY GENERAL GETTY — REMOVAL TO FORT 
NANSEMOND — UNDER FIRE— FAKE BULLETS — CAP- 
TURING A BATTERY — A LOST YANKEE IN REBEL 
LINES — THE LAST DAY— GENERAL ORDERS NO. 27— 
DISAPPOINTMENT OF RECRUITS— MUSTERED OUT. 

ABOUT noon on the 8th of February, the 
transport, with the Ninth on board, 
arrived at Fortress Monroe. Here it remained 
at anchor until about ten o'clock the next morn- 
ing, when orders were received to proceed to 
Newport News. Arriving at that place the 
regiment landed and was assigned to quarters 
in some very dilapidated buildings which had 
previously been used as stables. They were 
in an extremely filthy condition, as well as 



398 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

sadly out of repair. In obedience to orders the 
men at once began the task of converting these 
tumbledown, filthy hovels into habitable bar- 
racks. Their success was simply marvelous. 

It is doubtful if during the entire term of 
the regiment's service a better example of the 
result of intelligent, well directed labor could 
be shown. Nearly all the mechanical trades 
were well represented in the regiment, plenty 
of skill and ability, supplemented with an 
abundance of energy — the latter a native pos- 
session of these young soldiers. The work 
progressed rapidly and the old stables were 
very soon transformed into respectable looking 
and comfortable quarters. 

On the next day after its arrival the regiment 
was designated as provost guard of the post, 
with Major Jardine as Provost Marshal. 

This line of duty being entirely new to 
the men of the regiment was rather an agree- 
able variation from the usual unbroken mo- 
notony of ordinary camp life with its unvary- 
ing round of drills, parade and guard, and it 
was so accepted by them. Officers and men 
entered on the performance of their new duties 
with great satisfaction, and with a determina- 
tion for thoroughness in the performance of 
them. 

After a few days' experience in the new 



CONCENTRA TING TROOPS A T NE WPORT NE WS. 399 

camp, it appeared evident, judging from the 
activity prevailing at the post, and from the 
continuous arrival of regiments, that the mil- 
itary authorities intended to concentrate a 
large number of troops here, and to make it 
a base for operations of some kind in the near 
future. The detailing of the Ninth as provost 
guard was, in the minds of the men, confirma- 
tion that such was the intention. They reas- 
oned that under ordinary conditions any regi- 
ment would have served for a provost guard, 
but the detailing of the Ninth denoted that 
extraordinary conditions were about to de- 
velop. 

Regiment after regiment continued to arrive, 
following each other in rapid succession until, 
in a comparatively short time the whole of the 
9th Corps was encamped on the high bank 
of the James. The place which a short time 
before had been almost deserted was now 
occupied by nearly twenty thousand men. 

The swarms of sutlers, who had been labor- 
ing under great difficulties during all the time 
the army was on the march through Virginia, 
far away from its base, became suddenly alert, 
and were keen to take whatever advantage the 
situation offered for catching the trade which 
they saw was sure to follow the arrival of such 
a large number of soldiers at the post. 



400 NINTH REGIMENT, NE W YORK VOI UNTEERS. 

For a long time these sutlers had been endur- 
ing conditions very unfavorable to them, but 
which always prevail during the progress of an 
active campaign. While following the army 
on the march their stock in trade had to be 
transported in wagons and their safety and 
convenience were not considered to any very 
great extent by either the commanding general 
or his principal subordinates. They, therefore, 
had to trust to Providence for getting from 
point to point, or from one camp or halting 
place to another, without being captured by the 
Johnnies. They were frequently treated with 
scant courtesy by those in command, especially 
when they happened to interfere in any way 
with the free movement of troops, as they some- 
times did by obstructing the road, bridge or 
ford. The long haul was very expensive and 
the risk of capture was very great, not only by 
the scouting parties and moving bodies of the 
enemy but, under certain conditions, by their 
friends also. 

Discipline is always more or less relaxed 
when an army is on the march, and the longer 
the march the greater the relaxation. In a per- 
manent camp, under ordinary conditions, the 
stock of the sutler would be just as safe as in a 
civil community, but when the army was on 
the march, if it should happen to be dis- 



THE TROUBLES OF THE SUTLER. 40 1 

covered at any place outside of the range of 
vision of such commissioned officers as might 
realize the importance of their responsibility, it 
would be considered by soldiers generally as 
legitimate spoil, and in all probability would be 
captured and appropriated. 

From the above the reader must not con- 
clude that robbery was practiced generally by 
the soldiers during the war, or that men who 
would rob a sutler's wagon, would, under 
normal conditions, steal the property of another. 
Scattered all over the land are men holding 
high positions of honor and trust, who, when 
soldiers, assisted in robbing a sutler, and were 
glad of the opportunity. The doubter of this 
statement may ask the judge, congressman, 
clergyman, physician, merchant or lawyer who 
served in the ranks during the Rebellion, if he 
ever did such a thing. Watch the expression 
of his face and see how his eye will light up 
as his thoughts revert to those days when mis- 
chief was looked upon as a virtue, and all the 
wild pranks committed on the march or in the 
camp were considered as simply ebullitions of 
animal spirits. 

It was but natural that the arrival of a large 
body of troops at Newport News, which was so 
easy of access by water from near-by Northern 
ports, should be looked upon by many army 



402 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

traders as the sunshine in which their hay 
should be made, and they accordingly pro- 
ceeded immediately to take advantage of it. 
Almost as soon as the first bodies of troops 
were landed, vessels loaded with sutlers' stores 
began to arrive from Baltimore and other 
places at the north. A goodly proportion of 
many of the cargoes, and in some instances 
almost the whole cargo, consisted of rum. 

The supplying of liquors to soldiers during 
the war caused more trouble and brought 
about more breaches of discipline and military 
law than all other causes combined. A single 
gallon of rum introduced into a regiment will, 
for the time being, destroy the discipline of 
years. Everybody in the army who was at 
all observant was aware of this, yet almost 
everyone, excepting such officers as realized 
the responsibility resting upon them, encour- 
aged, or at least did not discourage the traffic. 
It was principally to prevent this traffic or to 
break it up if established that the Ninth was 
appointed provost guard. Major Jardine was 
just the man for the work. He was shrewd 
and energetic, and while it was practically 
impossible to at once entirely stop the intro- 
duction of liquor into camp, he and his assist- 
ants by their vigilance and the severe measures 
enforced against offenders, gradually put an 
end to it. 



RE I YE WS AND R EC RE A TIONS. 403 

By the latter part of February the whole of 
the Ninth Corps had arrived, and on the 25th 
of that month there was a grand review of 
all the troops at the post. The various com- 
mands were in excellent condition, both in 
regard to equipment and discipline and pre- 
sented a magnificent spectacle as they marched 
past the reviewing officer. 

Experience had taught the veterans and the 
observant ones in the army that the review of 
large bodies of troops was always a preliminary 
to some important movement, consequently 
the strategists among the soldiers at once 
began planning their campaigns, and the camp 
was soon filled with rumors regarding the next 
move. 

As spring advanced and the weather be- 
came milder the men were able to get along 
without the fires they had been hugging so 
lone and to move about with less discomfort 
from mud and kindred evils than during the 
inclement winter. Consequently there was 
more time spent in the open air, the benefit 
of which was soon apparent in the improved 
appearance of all. Both officers and men 
began to organize sports and recreations of 
divers kinds with which to vary the monotony 
of drills and parades and to enliven life in 
camp. Horse-racing became quite popular 



404 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

among the officers, and on the evenings when 
matches were decided thousands of spectators 
assembled at the course to yell, applaud or bet 
for or on their respective favorites. This 
favorite was in every case the horse which 
belonged to or which was ridden by an officer 
belonging to their own regiment or particular 
sub-division of the army. Those who bet on 
the result were always influenced by the same 
feelings. Points were not taken into account 
at all, it was simply " ours against theirs " 
always. The great race of the season was one 
between the horses of Colonel Hawkins and 
Captain Stevens of the staff, each ridden by 
its respective owner. It was run, as all the 
races were, just before " retreat," which was the 
hour when everybody but the guard was off 
duty, and was attended by a big crowd from 
all the brigades, including the whole of the 
Ninth who were off duty. These latter con- 
sidered it a bounden duty to be present and to 
yell for their favorite. Colonel Hawkins came 
in a winner, to the immense gratification of the 
men of his regiment and the chagrin and 
humiliation of the partisans of Captain Stevens. 
Baseball "nines" were organized in a number 
of regiments and many games played between 
them in the interval between afternoon drill 
and dress parade. The "nines" of the Ninth 



VICTORS IN THE GAMES. 405 

and the 51st New York played a series of 
games during the early part of March, in which 
the Zouaves were nearly always victorious, 
much to the gratification of the boys of the 
Ninth, who were wont, at the conclusion of 
each game, to express their feelings in much 
noisy tumult and with many sarcastic inquiries 
directed to the men of the 51st as to what if 
any game said 51st could play better than 
baseball. 

These may seem small matters to chronicle 
in the history of a regiment, but as a matter 
of fact, they were of very great importance to 
the men of the regiment. They served to 
enliven .and give variety to camp life; were 
recreation and amusement for all, and were 
looked forward to with delightful anticipation 
and remembered with a great deal of pleasure. 

During the early part of March troops began 
to leave Newport News for some unknown 
destination, and by the middle of the month 
regiments were being sent away almost daily. 

As early as the 7th of the month the regi- 
ment had received orders to prepare three days' 
cooked rations and be ready to move at a 
moment's notice. Nobody seemed to know the 
destination of the troops that had already left, 
or were leaving daily, but rumors were plentiful 
in camp and new ones were being put in cir- 



406 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

culation almost every hour about the new field 
of operations to which the troops were destined. 
Each new report differed from all others that 
had preceded it, but every one was discussed 
with great interest and animation and with 
many disputes and arguments among the men 
in relation to grand strategy, the future move- 
ments of the army and the plans of the generals. 

The regiment continued in this state of un- 
certainty day after day, waiting for orders, but 
they did not come. 

The command of the post had now devolved 
on Colonel Hawkins, as he was the ranking 
officer present. 

On the 13th, the 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Div- 
ision embarked on transports and proceeded 
toward their unknown destination, and on the 
day following, all the rest of the division, 
except part of the 1st Brigade, to which the 
Ninth belonged, followed it. On that day the 
regiment was relieved from provost guard by 
the 51st New York. 

About daybreak on the 1st of April, marching 
orders were at last received and the company 
and regimental property was soon packed and 
safely stowed on board the transport at the 
wharf, but instead of embarking thereon 
the regiment, presumably by orders, took the 
road and marched to Fortress Monroe, where 



ON THE MOVE AT LAST. 407 

it arrived at about four o'clock that after- 
noon. Tents were issued, which were soon 
pitched, and before tattoo all the work had 
been completed and the regiment was com- 
fortably encamped. On the 3d, camp was 
changed to Camp Hamilton where the regiment 
remained until the 10th, when orders were 
received to proceed to Suffolk, Va. At sun- 
down that day it embarked on the transport 
" Robt. A. Morris," and about midnight arrived 
at Portsmouth, remaining on board until day- 
light next morning. 

Colonel Hawkins was not relieved from the 
command of the brigade when marching orders 
were issued to the regiment and, therefore, was 
not in command. About the time it departed 
from Newport News he was either ordered or 
requested to proceed to Washington on some 
matter on which the military authorities were 
consulting and did not join the regiment which 
had arrived at Suffolk, and assume command 
until the morning of April 12th. 

The fact that the regiment had remained so 
long without orders while such a large percent- 
age of the corps had departed, or were depart- 
ing for a new field of action, had caused a great 
deal of speculation and discussion among the 
rank and file. Every imaginable theory was 
advanced by the camp strategists and sea- 



408 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

lawyers in the regiment to explain it, but none 
of them appeared to be entirely satisfactory. 
The most plausible one and the one most gen- 
erally accepted was, that inasmuch as the regi- 
ment's term of service would expire in about one 
month, the military authorities had concluded 
to (as the men expressed it) " let the boys take 
it easy" until the time came to send them home. 

The following telegrams copied from official 
records may throw some light on the question. 
They at least show that the military authori- 
ties were aware that the Ninth New York existed 
and that, to a certain extent at least, its reputa- 
tion with said authorities was good. 

Official records, Vol. 18, p. 582, April 4, 1863. 

General Dix sends despatch to General Keyes, 
commanding at Yorktown, that he leaves for 
Washington that day, and says : " I have prom- 
ised General Peck, in case he is attacked, to 
send for the Ninth New York Volunteers, 
which is at Camp Hamilton, and belongs to 
Getty's Division." 

On April 10, 1863, General Keyes, from 
Fortress Monroe, telegraphed General Peck at 
Suffolk: " I will, when the enemy advances on 
you, send Hawkins' Zouaves and other aid 
nearly equivalent." 

And on the same day the General telegraphed 
from Fortress Monroe to General Halleck: 



CERTAIN REGIMENTAL HISTORIANS. 409 

" Upon Peck's urgent call I have sent the Ninth 
New York to Suffolk to-day." 

On page 598, April 11, 1863, Keyes tele- 
graphed to General Peck : " I have this moment 
received your telegram announcing that the 
enemy is moving upon you in large force. I 
suppose the Hawkins' Zouaves are now with 
you." 

It may not be out of place here to call the 
attention of the reader to the fact that these 
telegrams demonstrate that the Ninth New 
York Volunteers was held in higher estimation 
by the officers who signed them and by those 
to whom they were addressed than one would 
believe possible after reading certain so-called 
regimental histories, the emanations of J. Madi- 
son Drake, Brigadier-General, N. J., and his 
fellow writers, on the battle of Roanoke Island. 
The reason is perfectly plain. The confidence 
of Generals Dix, Keyes, Peck and Halleck was 
inspired by the reputation gained by the regi- 
ment during its two years' of service, while the 
writings of the authors above mentioned, were 
governed by the wish to manufacture records for 
their several regiments before there had been 
either time or opportunity for them to earn 
them, and by reciting alleged occurrences which 
never happened, and of which none of them 
could have had knowledge, under the existing 
conditions, even had they taken place. 



410 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

When the Ninth landed at Portsmouth on the 
morning of the nth, they found that owing to 
the advance of the enemy on Suffolk and the 
alarm and confusion resulting therefrom, the 
railroad service had been discontinued and the 
only way of reaching the besieged town was by 
marching. After marching about four miles the 
company and regimental property and knap- 
sacks were packed in wagons and the regiment 
completed the march of twenty-seven miles 
over the railroad sleepers. The march was a 
very fatiguing one. It rained considerably 
during the day and when at last Suffolk was 
reached the men were wet, hungry, and very 
tired. The marching on the ties was particu- 
larly fatiguing to men loaded down with the 
ordinary equipments. 

It was late when Suffolk was reached, and 
for the last hour or two of the march the sub- 
ject uppermost in the thoughts of the men was 
where they were to find quarters when they 
arrived at their destination. After standing 
in the ranks for some time, waiting to be 
assigned to their position, it was ascertained 
that the 103d New York — a regiment of 
their own brigade which had preceded them 
some days — was on guard duty at the ex- 
treme front. This left their camp unoccupied, 
so the Ninth unceremoniously turned into 



THE EVE OF A TRAGEDY. 4 1 1 

their tents and proceeded to make themselves 
comfortable and at home, knowing they would 
be welcome. 

On this night a tragedy occurred, which for 
a time threatened serious consequences. This 
was what seemed at that time, and which after 
the lapse of so many years still seems to be, 
the unjustifiable and wanton killing of Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Kimball by General Corcoran. 

As stated above, it was late in the night when 
the regiment arrived in camp. There were no 
provisions made for quarters for either officers 
or men. It had been raining all day, and if any 
sleep was to be had it was necessary to find 
shelter. Colonel Kimball was invited to share 
the tent of Major Bowers, of a New Hamp- 
shire regiment, who had been a companion in 
arms of Kimball in Mexico, being a lieutenant 
in the same company. It was necessary for 
Kimball to visit Getty's headquarters to report 
the arrival of the regiment, and to receive orders, 
which he proceeded to do, Major Bowers mean- 
while preparing a place for him to sleep. While 
on his way to make this call, or on his return 
therefrom, Kimball's attention was attracted to a 
sentry challenging a group of mounted men. 
The challenged party did not respond to the 
satisfaction of the sentry, who again demanded 
the countersign. From among the challenged 



412 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

party came voices, some raised in expostulation 
and others in explanation of their identity and 
their destination.. Colonel Kimball advanced 
toward the disputants, at the same time saying, 
" That's right, sentry ; let no one pass without 
the countersign." He then challenged the 
party himself, demanding the countersign. 
The group of strangers numbered a dozen or 
more men, some of them in military uniform, 
others in citizen's dress. As they could not or 
would not give the countersign, the principal 
spokesman of the party merely reiterating the 
statement that he was General Corcoran, Kim- 
ball resolutely determined that they should not 
pass, and placed himself in such a position as to 
obstruct the passage of the leader. After a few 
more words of altercation, a shot rang out, 
and Kimball fell and instantly expired. 

The bullet from Corcoran's pistol had passed 
through his neck, severing one of the carotid 
arteries, and causing death almost instantly. 

A day or two after this tragedy, Brig.-Gen. 
Michael Corcoran sent a letter to Colonel 
Hawkins, in which he set forth what he evi- 
dently considered the extenuating circum- 
stances or justification of his act. This letter 
is as follows : 



CORCORAN 'S EXPLANA TIONS. 4 1 3 

Suffolk, Va., April 13, 1863. 
Colonel: — To prevent any misapprehension I send you a brief 
statement in relation to the sad affair of Sunday morning, which re- 
sulted, I regret to say, in the death of Lieut.-Col. Edgar E. Kimball. 
* * * I proceeded along the main road toward the front lines * * * 
when an officer, whose rank I could not recognize (the night being very 
dark) rushed out in front of me and ordered a halt, with the additional 
remark, " I want the countersign." * * * I requested to know the 
object of his halting me, and his name, rank, and other authority, but 

could obtain no other reply than it was " none of my business ;. 

you cannot pass here." I expostulated with him * * * told him he 
must let me pass. I asked him if he knew who he was talking to, and 
gave him my name and rank * * * but it was of no avail. He 

answered : " I do not care a who you are." I then told him I 

should pass and warned him to get out of my way, and attempted to 
proceed. He thereupon put himself in a determined attitude to pre- 
vent my progress. * * * It was at this point I used my weapon. * * * 
MICHAEL CORCORAN, Brig.-General. 

Without the testimony of the above letter 
over his own signature, it would be difficult to 
believe that any man could be found in the 
army — especially one who had secured the 
rank of brigadier-general — so utterly regardless 
of all questions of right and justice, so de- 
ficient in ordinary intelligence and so grossly 
ignorant of the simple primary rules and 
practice of camps or troops in time of war,, 
that he would, when abroad in the night 
time, in the immediate presence of the enemy, 
surrounded by members of his staff and a 
crowd of visiting friends, have answered the 
demand for the countersign by volunteering 
information as to his supposed name, rank 
and purpose. 

It is the well-known practice in all civilized 



414 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

armies to enforce by both precept and practice 
the rule that nobody — not even the soldier's 
own captain or colonel or most intimate 
friend — shall be recognized at night or dealt 
with otherwise than as a stranger and an 
enemy, unless he properly identifies himself 
by giving the countersign. There is no de- 
parture from this rule, " Know nobody, at 
night." A challenged person who attempts to 
identify himself by such explanations as an- 
nouncing his supposed name and rank, or 
stating his alleged objects and mission, at 
once excites the suspicion of the veteran sol- 
dier, and causes him to be, if possible, still 
more upon his guard. Camps and garrisons 
have been surprised and disasters have fol- 
lowed in numerous instances by departure 
from this plain and simple rule. 

If parties of men, either mounted or on foot, 
should have the right to freely move through 
or about camps or bivouacs at night, by 
simply announcing, when questioned, I, or 
we, are so and so, going to such a place, as 
they might care to mention, there would be no 
use in maintaining guards at all. Everybody, 
enemies as well as friends, could then go wher- 
ever inclination, interest or desire called them. 

Among the many instances where surprise 
and loss has occurred when plausible ex- 



MOSBY'S ANSWER TO THE SENTRY'S CHALLENGE. 415 

planations have been accepted by sentries 
and others in lieu of the countersign, is the 
following, which happened about a month 
before the fatal night on which Colonel Kim- 
ball was killed, and which was probably 
recalled to his mind when he discovered 
Corcoran and his mixed cavalcade attempt- 
ing to ignore the demand for the counter- 
sign and offering explanations instead. 

On the 8th of March, 1863, Col. John S. 
Mosby and a detachment of his command, rode 
into the Federal camp at Fairfax Courthouse. 
They had succeeded in avoiding the outly- 
ing camps and pickets, the gleaming camp- 
fires serving as beacons to warn them where 
danger lay. They were not interfered with 
until they arrived in the heart of the camp, 
when a sentry challenged them. His chal- 
lenge was answered with the information that 
they were a detachment of the 5th New York 
Cavalry and were waiting there for the rest of 
the regiment. They chatted familiarly with the 
sentinel until the opportunity they were waiting 
for arrived, when a pistol was suddenly clapped 
to his ear and he was informed that he was a 
prisoner and that his death would instantly fol- 
low any attempt to alarm the camp. They then 
proceeded to the quarters occupied by the Union 
Commander, Brigadier- General Stougton. 



416 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

They informed the soldier on guard that they 
were bearers of dispatches for the General, 
and succeeded in capturing him in the same 
way they had the other sentinel. Part of them 
then secured the rest of the guard while 
the others proceeded to General Stoughton's 
room, and after awakening him informed him 
that he was a prisoner; that his camp had 
been completely surprised and was in pos- 
session of Stuarts cavalry ; compelled him to 
dress; took him, his staff, his headquarters' 
guard — in all 32 persons, 58 horses and his 
headquarters' equipage — and rode gayly, chat- 
ting and laughing as they went, unmolested, 
out of camp, and succeeded in getting safely 
away. 

Unfortunately for General Stoughton and his 
reputation, there was no Colonel Kimball 
awake in his camp that night. 

The official recognition of this successful 
venture is contained in the following con- 
gratulatory order : 

Headquarters Cavalry Division, Army of 

Northern Virginia, March 12, 1863. 
General Orders : 

Captain John S. Mosby has for a long time attracted the attention 
of his General by his boldness, skill and success, so signally displayed 
in his numerous forays upon the invaders of his native State. None 
know his daring enterprise and dashing heroism better than those 
foul invaders, though strangers themselves to such noble traits. 

His late brilliant exploit — the capture of Brig. -General Stoughton, 
U. S. Army ; two captains, thirty other prisoners, together with their 



LIEUT. COLONEL KIMBALL'S ANTECEDENTS. 417 

arms and equipments, and fifty-eight horses — justifies this recognition 
in General Orders. 

This feat, unparalled in the war, was performed in the midst of the 
enemy's troops, at Fairfax Court House, without loss or injury. The 
gallant Jband of Captain Mosby share the glory as they did the 
danger of this enterprise, and are worthy of such a leader. 

J. E. B. STUART, 

Major-General Commanding. 

The above single illustration of what some- 
times does and what at any time may follow the 
disregard of the simple axiom that the only 
identification to be received by a sentinel in the 
night is the countersign, would seem to be 
sufficient to dispose of the singularly foolish 
and childlike contention of Corcoran and a few 
thoughtless apologists of his act, that Kimball 
had no right to demand the countersign that 
night. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball was born in 
Pembroke, N. H., June 3, 1822. He became a 
printer in his youth, and for a number of years 
was editor and publisher of the Woodstock (Vt.) 
Age. At the breaking out of the Mexican War 
he abandoned his paper and raised a company for 
the service and was assigned to Colonel Ran- 
som's regiment which became the 9th U.S. Infan- 
try. He was commissioned captain March 8, 1847; 
brevet-major, August 20, 1847, f° r gallant and 
meritorious conduct at the battles of Conteras 
and Cherubusco ; honorably discharged August 
26, 1848; commissioned major Ninth New 



418 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

York Volunteers May 4, 1861; lieutenant-colo- 
nel February 14, 1862, and died, as has been seen, 
the victim of a combination of ignorance and 
arrogance. He was a gallant and intrepid 
soldier, one whom no dangers could daunt 
nor numbers terrify when either stood in the 
path of his duty as a soldier. Always ready to 
perform any act of daring or to lead to danger 
where any man would follow, he was the ad- 
miration of the regiment, the men of which 
sincerely mourned his loss and the manner 
of it. Michael Corcoran will be remembered 
by many New Yorkers of ante-bellum days, 
as the colonel of a militia regiment, in which 
position he gained considerable notoriety by 
flatly refusing to obey the lawful command 
of his superior officer when ordered to parade 
his regiment — with the command to which it be- 
longed — to receive the Prince of Wales when on 
his visit to New York. Corcoran was then, and 
subsequently remained until, the breaking out 
of the Rebellion, the keeper of what was known 
in the vernacular of the day as a "three cent grog 
shop," Hibernia Hall, in Prince Street, New 
York City. He went to the front with his 
regiment in response to the call for three 
months' troops, was taken prisoner at Bull Run 
and was confined some time in Libby Prison. 
Afterwards he was appointed brigadier-general 



ALMOST A MEETING. 4 1 9 

and served a short time as commander of the 
Corcoran Legion. He was killed by a fall from 
his horse shortly after the killing of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Kimball, and while engaged in a night 
ride (accompanied by visitors, citizens and 
soldiers) which was a counterpart of the ride 
of the nth of April, 1863. 

When Colonel Kimball's death, and the 
manner of it became known throughout the 
regiment, which was not until daylight the 
following morning, there was intense excite- 
ment among the men. The indignation 
reached such a height that serious conse- 
quences were feared. There was much con- 
fusion and the scene for a time savored 
somewhat of insubordination, not to say 
mutiny. Some of the men loudly demanded 
that their officers lead them to Corcoran's head- 
quarters that they might avenge what they all 
considered the wanton and cowardly murder 
of their Lieutenant-Colonel. Before the point 
of open outbreak was reached the " assembly" 
was ordered sounded and the regiment " fell 
in." The habit of obedience and discipline was 
so strong that the excited, almost uncontrollable 
mob was instantly transformed into an obedient, 
well disciplined regiment. 

General Getty, who had been sent for when 
the situation became serious, arrived in a few 



420 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

moments. He addressed them in a quieting 
and assuring speech, deploring the unfortunate 
occurrence and promising that a thorough 
investigation would be had and full justice 
rendered. He also, and very wisely too, wrote 
an order, directing the regiment to proceed to 
Fort Nansemond at once, and occupy that and 
adjacent works. This order was written while 
the General sat on his horse in front of the 
regiment. The Ninth was at once marched to 
its new field of duty, which was found to be at 
the extreme front, within a short distance of the 
enemy's rifle pits, which were on ground that 
commanded the fort. It remained here con- 
stantly under fire for twenty-two days until its 
time expired, so fully occupied with the enemy 
in front that if his satanic majesty had wished 
to brew mischief he could have found no 
heart or hands in the regiment to do it for 
him. 

Longstreet was investing the place with an 
army estimated at thirty thousand men. He 
allowed the defenders no rest either day or 
night. His attempts to successfully assault 
various parts of the line were defeated in every 
instance, however, and the operations so far 
as the Ninth was concerned, were confined 
principally to sharpshooting and occasional 
artillery duels. A portion of the regiment, 



UNDER FIRE FROM THE RIFLE-PITS 421 

the whole of Company K, and such other men 
as had been instructed in artillery drill at 
Newport News under General Phelps, and at 
Roanoke Island, manned different batteries 
on the line occupied by the regiment. 

General Getty in his report says : " The 
artillery is especially deserving of great credit. 
Captain Morris, Ninth New York Volunteers, 
with a battery of 20-pounder Parrott's, silenced 
most effectually the enemy's battery at Nor- 
fleet's, and afterward rendered good service 
in silencing his batteries at Le Compte's. 

The rebel rifle-pits were within easy range 
of Fort Nansemond and the other Union 
works, and the sharpshooting was continuous. 
In a very few days the men became accus- 
tomed to this, in a measure, and contented 
themselves with returning in kind these at- 
tentions of the enemy. The latter would 
occasionally become so presistent and annoy- 
ing that the artillery would be compelled to 
take part in the dispute and by dropping shells 
into the rifle-pits, which they learned to do 
very skillfully, would cause the enemy to 
evacuate and scamper to better cover farther 
to the rear. There would then be comparative 
peace for a short time, but it would soon be 
as bad as ever. 

As has been stated before, the enemy's rifle- 



422 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

pits were so situated that they in part com- 
manded Fort Nansemond. Every part of the 
work except that immediately behind the para- 
pet facing toward the enemy was under the fire 
of his riflemen. Anyone exposing himself be- 
yond the shelter of the protecting parapet 
was sure to be made a target of by the rebel 
marksmen. This condition of affairs afforded 
an opportunity for some of the most irreverent 
and fun-loving among the Zouaves to extract 
a good deal of amusement from it. To do 
this they provided themselves with nails which, 
when either officer or man was discovered in 
an exposed place, was thrown in such a man- 
ner as to revolve swiftly on its shorter axis, 
making a humming noise not unlike the sound 
of a bullet, and as near to the head of the 
victim as possible. The unconscious subject 
of the trick would lose no time in putting him- 
self in a safer place, and nearly always in a 
most undignified and generally terror stricken 
manner. This performance would appear to 
throw the jokers into an ecstasy of glee. If the 
victim were an enlisted man there were howls 
of derision and great exultation. If an officer 
they expressed their feelings by going through 
many and various bodily contortions, silently 
of course, but nevertheless very vigorous and 
demonstrative. 



INNOCENT ENJOYMENT. 423 

The pinacle of demoniac joy was reached 
when occasionally a higher officer on a tour 
of inspection or observation would unwittingly 
place himself in a position where the trick 
would be practiced on him without danger of 
discovery. To see him, as happened on more 
than one occasion, drop suddenly on his hands 
and knees when he heard the whiz of the nail 
as it passed his head, and in that position 
scuttle undignifiedly to a place of shelter, was 
superlative glee, and possibly the memory of 
it remains a joy with some of the wretches 
even to this day. 

At dusk on the evening of the 19th of April, 
a part of Hawkins' Brigade, the 8th Connecticut 
and 89th New York, crossed the West Branch 
of the Nansemond on "Stepping Stones" and 
captured the rebel Battery Huger, with five 
pieces of artillery, nine commissioned officers 
and one hundred and twenty men. This was 
a gallant exploit for which the troops engaged 
were commended in general orders. Among 
the officers especially mentioned for gallantry 
on the occasion, was Lieutenant Robert Mc- 
Kechnie of Company H, Ninth New York, aide 
to General Getty. 

During the latter part of the month heavy 
rain storms occurred but notwithstanding this 
the fighting continued active. 



424 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

On the 30th of April the enemy opened with 
a new battery of one " Whitworth " gun, one 
30 and one 35-pounder Parrott. They were 
quickly silenced by Captain Morris (Company 
K) detachment, then at Fort Stevens, and con- 
sisting of men of the Ninth and the gunboat 
"Commodore Barney," under command of 
Lieutenant Cushing, U. S. N. 

The expiration of the term of service of 
the regiment was now rapidly approaching, 
and all other thoughts and considerations were 
completely blotted out or lost sight of in the 
consuming desire and longing for home. For 
weeks it had been the all-absorbing topic, and 
had pervaded the minds of all, both sleeping 
and waking. There was no relaxation, how- 
ever, in the steady and cheerful performance of 
every duty, and a casual observer would 
never have suspected that these soldiers — so 
obedient and prompt to respond to every 
order — were expecting almost hourly to be 
relieved from duty and to turn their faces 
towards the homes and loved ones many of 
them had not seen since their term of service 
began. 

On the 1st of May, an attempt was made 
to capture the enemy's rifle-pits across the 
river from Fort Nansemond, from which the 
annoying fire of the sharpshooters had harrassed 



A SHARP FIGHT. 42 S 



the defenders so long. The 99th New York 
was detailed to make the attempt. They 
crossed the river by the bridge, deployed on 
the opposite bank and advanced rapidly up 
the slope toward the enemy's position exposed 
to a brisk fire from the sharpshooters in the 
pits. It appeared to be the intention to move 
rapidly and capture the line of rifle-pits by 
a daylight surprise before the rebel infantry 
could be thrown forward to occupy them, in 
which event they could, with the help of the 
artillery in the forts, have held them against 
a greatly superior force. As the attacking 
force swept up the hill in plain view of the men 
in the forts and earthworks on the Union side, a 
large body of the enemy's infantry was ob- 
served to move out of the woods beyond, and 
charge down the hill toward the advancing line 
of the 99th. It looked from the works as 
though it were a countercharge by the enemy. 
All the guns that could be brought to bear 
opened on the advancing rebels, and it seemed 
as though it would be impossible for them 
to withstand it, when all at once they disap- 
peared from view, having reached the rifle- 
pits for which they were rushing, and plunging 
into them were out of sight and well sheltered 
from the fire of both the forts and the advan- 
cing infantry. What had seemed from the 



426 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

forts to be two bodies of infantry charging 
each other was, in fact, a race between the 
attacking troops and the rebels as to which 
would be able to reach the shelter of the 
rifle-pits first, and the rebels — having the 
shortest distance to go — won. As the line of 
the 99th advanced up the slope, it came within 
range of the artillery fire from the fort, which, 
therefore, had to cease, for fear of inflicting 
damage on their own men. When the rebel 
reinforcements which had reached the rifle-pits 
opened fire on the troops advancing to the 
attack, it seemed to the soldiers looking on 
from the opposite side of the river that the 99th 
literally melted away. The fight was kept up 
for some time, the Union soldiers stubbornly 
holding their ground, even after all chance of 
success had vanished; but they were at last 
compelled to abandon the attempt and retire 
across the river, leaving their dead and 
wounded on the field. 

Very soon after the 99th had gained the 
shelter of the earthwork, and the firing had 
ceased, several men of the Ninth crossed the 
river, willing to take their chances of getting 
hit, in an effort to render assistance to the 
wounded, and later a rescue party of volunteers 
was gathered and, under command of Major 
Jardine, went over for the same purpose. 



A LOST ZOUAVE. 427 



These went over without arms, and made little 
if any attempt at concealment, only taking care 
not to show themselves in an ostentatious 
manner. The rebels showed an equally chiv- 
alric and honorable spirit, for, while there 
was an occasional shot, their presence was gen- 
erally ignored. As the reward of their labors 
they brought oyer six dead and forty-three 
wounded. 

An incident occurred in connection with this 
eood work, an account of which will no 
doubt be of interest, and which will show 
the spirit and feelings which animated many of 
the soldiers on both sides at this period of the 
war. 

One of the Zouaves had become so intent in 
his search for the wounded that he unwit- 
tingly permitted darkness to overtake him, 
and became suddenly aware that he was lost. 
He could not determine which was the proper 
direction to take to find the river, which was his 
only landmark, but wandered back and forth, 
thoroughly confused for a time, not daring to 
go far in any one direction, for fear of running 
into the enemy's line. While still in this un- 
pleasant frame of mind, he was startled by seeing 
a rifle-barrel suddenly gleam in the moonlight 
and a voice behind it say, in accents which 
plainly would admit of no refusal, " Come here, 



428 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Yank." Our friend, knowing well that he 
was in a situation where a man who hesitates is 
lost, promptly walked toward the voice, which 
he found belonged to a rebel soldier whose 
head appeared just above the surface of the 
ground, the rest of the body being in a rifle-pit. 
The Johnny took a good look at the Yank, 
then lowered the hammer of his gun, and said, 
in rather a friendly way, "Sit down, Yank. 
You belong to the 9th New York, don't you ? " 
"Yes," replied the Yank. "Well," said the 
Reb, "I thought your time was out." "So it 
is," replied the Yankee. " We are going home 
to-morrow. At least, the rest of the boys are." 
But who are you, and what do you know about 
the 9th New York?" "Oh, I belong to the 
3rd Georgia, I know a good deal about your 
regiment," said the Reb. The Zouave knew 
something about the the 3rd Georgia, too, so 
he said, "Isn't your time out, too?". "Out 
h — !" said the Reb. "No, our time is never 
out. Time don't count with us." 

The conversation continued in this vein for 
sometime longer, the Ninth man being very 
uneasy meantime in regard to the final ending 
of the visit, when the Reb suddenly interrupted 
the dialogue by saying : " Look here, Yank, you 
had better be getting out of here. My relief is 
about due, and if you are found here you will 
be scooped in." The Zouave informed him 



REGIMENT RELIEVED. GETTY'S ORDER. 429 

that he was just as anxious to go as his enter- 
tainer was to have him go, but that he had 
lost his bearings and did not know in which 
direction to reach the river. His friend, the 
enemy, pointed out the general direction, and 
" reckoned " that if his Yankee guest should be 
unable to attract the attention of his friends on 
his own side, he could swim the river and get 
back to camp in that way. So they parted with 
a mutual good night, and the Zouave reached 
the regiment in safety. 

On the next day the regiment was relieved 
by the 6th Massachusetts, and orders were 
issued to proceed to New York for the purpose 
of being mustered out. In connection with 
orders received for this purpose was a farewell 
and complimentary one by General Getty, in 
the following form: 

Headquarters Third Division, Ninth Army Corps, 

Suffolk, Va., May 2d, 1863. 
General Orders, No. 27. 

After two years of constant field service the Ninth Regiment, New 
York State Volunteers, are now about to return home ; their term of 
service having expired. Among the first to spring to arms at their 
country's call, they now return home after two years of faithful and 
gallant service, with the heartfelt satisfaction of having done their 
duty, with the praises of their friends and the admiration of the 
enemy ; and with Hatteras, Roanoke, Camden, South Mountain, 
Antietam, Fredericksburg and Suffolk inscribed on their banners. 

Fare you well, brave and faithful comrades ! The best wishes of 
those you leave follow you, and will unite with the cheers of the 
thousands who will greet your triumphant march through your native 
city to do you the honor you have so richly earned. 

By command of 
GEORGE W. GETTY, Brigadier-General. 
Captain Gardiner, Asst. Adjt. -General. 



430 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

This order was very gratifying to every 
member of the regiment, coming as it did from 
the general under whose watchful eye they had 
served for several months, and who had evi- 
dently learned to value their soldierly qualities 
as he had seen them exhibited in camp, on the 
march, and on the battlefield. 

One thing in connection with this last day of 
their active service as an organization, which 
had a tendency to dampen the enthusiasm of 
the men, was the decision of the government, 
that all the recruits who had enlisted at various 
times subsequent to the muster-in of the regi- 
ment must remain behind in the service and 
serve a full two year or three year term accord- 
ing to the terms of the " call for troops " under 
which each one had enlisted. 

Nearly, if not quite, all these recruits had 
enlisted under the belief that their terms would 
expire with that of the regiment. That was 
also the general belief among the officers. At 
the time of their enlistment they were informed 
that while they were actually being sworn in 
for a stated term, in years, yet nevertheless 
every effort would be made to induce the war 
department to permit them to be mustered out 
with the regiment at the expiration of its term 
of service, and it was believed that these efforts 
would be successful. Colonel Hawkins left 



HOME A T LAST. 43 1 

nothing undone in his efforts to have this 
implied agreement carried out, but without 
success. Consequently about three hundred 
men were left behind to serve out their respec- 
tive terms in some other organization. 

On the 3d of May the regiment left Suffolk 
and proceeded to Fortress Monroe, where trans- 
portation by sea was furnished, and on the 5th, 
after a voyage devoid of incident, it arrived in 
New York. 

One of the New York papers of that date 
published the following notice of the expected 
arrival of the regiment: 

" The regiment will arrive in this city today. Extensive arrange- 
ments have been made in order to give the gallant corps an enthu. 
siastic reception. Several fire companies, both of New York and 
Brooklyn, have volunteered to turn out on the occasion. The Twelfth 
Regiment, National Guard, will also parade in honor of the returning 
heroes. They come on the steamer "Kennebec," and may be ex- 
pected to land about 9 o'clock, a.m. 

" A meeting of the wounded and friends of the regiment was held at 
25 Carmine Street yesterday afternoon, and arrangements were made 
for the ex-members, wounded, and friends, to turn out upon the occa- 
sion. The Zouaves will be commanded by Colonel Hawkins." 

The reception was a very cordial and gratify- 
ing one, and the plaudits on the line of march 
were numerous and enthusiastic. After a short 
parade, not short enough however to suit the 
impatient Zouaves, whose one desire was to be 
with their loved ones from whom they had 
been separated so long, the regiment arrived at 
the Twelfth Regiment Armory, where the arms 



432 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

were deposited and the men dismissed for the 
time being. 

Nothing now remained to do but prepare the 
rolls for muster-out. These were soon com- 
pleted and on May 20, 1863, the Ninth New 
York Volunteers were mustered out of service 
and ceased to exist as a military organization. 
The whole number of men enlisted in 
the regiment during the two years 
of service, was . . . . l A 1 3 

Mustered out at expiration of term, 539 
Transferred to the Third New York, 264 803 
Which shows an apparent loss from all 

causes of . . . . 610 

In addition to this apparent loss there was an 
additional actual loss in battle of 155 men, who 
recovering from their wounds returned to the 
regiment and were again " present for duty," 
and are included in the above 803 men who 
were either mustered out with it or trans- 
ferred to serve out their respective unexpired 
terms of enlistment. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE RECRUITS LEFT AT SUFFOLK — LACK OF MILITARY 
CONTROL — VOLUNTEERING FOR THE FIGHT — CAMP 
RUMORS — PRIVATE RECONNOITERING — THE MAN 
OF STRAW — UNCERTAINTY AND ANXIETY AMONG 
THE MEN — TRANSFERRED TO THE THIRD NEW 
YORK — BOSSING THE REGIMENT — OFF FOR FIELD 
SERVICE — CAMPAIGNING IN SOUTH CAROLINA — 
ARMY OF THE JAMES — ARMY OF THE POTOMAC 
— MEN OF THE NINTH DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES — 
REGIMENT DWINDLES AWAY— CALL FOR SECOND 
BATTALION— A NEW NINTH ORGANIZED — FORMA- 
TION OF 178TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS — ORDERED 
TO VIRGINIA — NEW NINTH RECRUITING — THE JULY 
RIOTS— JARDINE AND WHITE WOUNDED— RESCUED— 
BATTALION AT FORT HAMILTON — SEVENTEENTH 
NEW YORK — ORDERED TO THE FRONT — PROVIS- 
IONAL BRIGADE — SERVICE OF i 7 8th — SERVICE OF 
17TH— MEN WHO SERVED IN OTHER REGIMENTS. 

WHEN the Ninth departed for New 
York for the purpose of being mus- 
tered out, about three hundred men — recruits 
— who had enlisted in the regiment at various 
times subsequent to its muster into the ser- 
vice, were left behind at Suffolk to serve out 
their respective unexpired terms of enlistment. 



434 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

They were for a time unattached to any 
regiment or command. They had no com- 
missioned officers of their own. They were 
detachments from every company in the regi- 
ment, and now found themselves without or- 
ganization, and for the time being practically 
free from both military restraints and from the 
performance of ordinary military duties. They 
seemed to be at liberty to go and come within 
camp lines at their own will and pleasure. 

Each of them had enlisted for a stated period 
— two or three years — according to the " call " 
under which they respectively entered the ser- 
vice, but each and every one of them, as well 
as every other man in the regiment, both 
enlisted and commissioned, had firmly believed 
that they would only be required to serve until 
the term of the regiment expired. When it 
was learned that they would not be allowed to 
go home with the regiment they were griev- 
ously disappointed. They had looked forward 
with pleasurable anticipation to the time when 
they would march up Broadway with the 
regiment, participate with it in whatever recep- 
tion was accorded it, share in its honors and 
claim their proportion of the glory it had won. 
These hopes were now all dashed to the ground 
and the men felt very bitter on account of what 
they believed to be unjust treatment. Hope, 



VOLUNTEERING FOR THE FIGHT. 435 

however, "springs eternal in the human breast," 
and most of the boys still cherished a faint 
hope or indulged in a vague expectation that 
the decision which separated them from their 
regiment might yet be reconsidered and that 
some unforeseen turn in affairs might happen, 
whereby they might still be mustered out with it. 
This made them ready to grasp at any of the 
multitude of rumors and camp stories which 
sprung up — where the wish was father to the 
thought — regarding the intention of the authori- 
ties concerning them. 

On the 3d of May, which was the day after 
the Ninth departed for home, a reconnaissance 
was ordered to ascertain the whereabouts of 
the enemy, who had suddenly become less 
active than usual, and among the troops as- 
signed to the duty was the 103d New York, a 
regiment which had been long brigaded with 
the Ninth. A goodly number of the retained 
men voluntarily joined that regiment and par- 
ticipated in the fight which the movement 
brought on. Among the killed in the engage- 
ment was Colonel Ringold, the commander of 
the regiment, a most gallant and dashing 
officer, and one in whom the whole brigade 
took pride. This engagement proved to be the 
last which took place during the siege. The 
fighting for the present in that vicinity seemed 



436 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

at an end, and the leisure permitted some- 
body to start and spread a report that Colonel 
Ringold's remains were to be sent home, and 
that the recruits of the Ninth, as a reward for 
their conduct in the fight in which he was killed, 
were to act as their escort. This report was 
eagerly seized upon by the men and produced a 
good deal of excitement, many of them believing 
it to be true. Like others of similar import, it 
proved to be baseless. Then a report gained 
currency, and was also believed, that it had 
been decided to form the recruits into a light 
battery to be commanded by Captain Morris, 
of Company K, of the old regiment. There 
appears to have been some little foundation for 
this report as the men to the number of one 
hundred and thirty were marched to a point 
between Suffolk and Portsmouth, where they 
were established in camp and a preliminary 
organization was begun under somebody's 
orders. There were no commissioned officers 
assigned to take charge of affairs, but non- 
commissioned officers were detailed to act in 
various capacities with a view to caring for the 
men. Edward K. Whiteman, of Company B, 
of the old regiment, was placed in charge of the 
commissary department, with George W. 
Rogers acting as commissary sergeant. They 
both performed their duties well and for the 



PRIVATE REC0NN01TERING. 437 

few days the camp was maintained succeeded 
in drawing from the commissary, and in 
properly issuing the full ration of food allowed 
by the regulations. 

This battery organization, however, was 
abandoned in a few days. It is doubtful if 
there was any serious intention on the part of 
the authorities to complete it. 

In the meantime, and before the battery 
camp had been established, sharpshooting 
along the lines had entirely ceased and a camp 
rumor began to circulate that the enemy had 
evacuated his works and retired. There 
seemed to be nothing improbable about this 
report except the fact that the lookout was 
still plainly visible in the rebel observatory or 
watch tower, and seemed to be attending 
strictly to business. Many a shot was sent in 
his direction, not so much with the expectation 
of hitting him, but just to make it interesting 
for him. 

Some of the more venturesome spirits 
among- the Zouaves determined to find out for 
themselves just what the situation was in their 
front and slipping quietly over the works, 
without going through the formality of asking 
for orders, started on a reconnaissance of their 
own. They were very cautious in their move- 
ments, as the rebel lookout was still on duty 



4S8 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

in the tower, and they did not wish to have 
him direct the enemy's fire toward them. They 
soon discovered that the rebel rifle-pits were 
actually abandoned, and they pushed on for 
some distance beyond them without finding the 
enemy. The idea then occurred to some of 
them, and was quickly acted upon, to attempt 
to turn the tables on the man in the observa- 
tory who had caused them so much trouble 
by his apparent vigilance, and who it seemed to 
them had remained at his post too long for 
his own good, by capturing and taking him into 
camp. By skillful manceuvering they suc- 
ceeded in gaining positions which enabled 
them to cut off his retreat, when they boldly 
advanced, surrounded the tower, and de- 
manded his unconditional surrender, when lo ! 
the vigilant sentinel proved to be a man of 
straw. An old suit of rebel butternut had been 
stuffed with straw and leaves and the Johnnies 
with considerable skill had so fashioned and 
placed the figure that the deception at a little 
distance was complete. The dummy had suc- 
cessfully engaged the attention of the vol- 
unteer scouts while the Rebs were quietly 
retiring, no doubt laughing in their sleeves as 
they pictured to themselves the disgust and 
chagrin of the Yankees when they would dis- 
cover the kind of sentry that had been left on 



TAKEN TO FORTRESS MONROE. - 439 

guard. When the men returned to the fort 
and reported the results of their investigations 
they, for reasons of their own, failed to mention 
the capture of the dummy sentinel. 

A day or two after the withdrawal of the 
rebel troops, word was passed around among 
the men of the Ninth that they were ordered 
to assemble at a certain locality in Norfolk — 
twenty-seven miles distant — and a rumor was 
circulated at the same time to the effect that it 
was for the purpose of acting as funeral escort 
to the remains of Colonel Ringold on their 
journey north for interment. The men re- 
sponded with alacrity. Those who still re- 
mained about Fort Nansemond and also the 
men in the battery camp proceeded at once to 
the rendezvous. Here they were taken in 
charge by the provost guard, and together with 
a number who had followed the regiment when 
it started on the homeward journey, and who 
were then scattered about the city, were es- 
corted on board a canal boat, and placed 
under guard. On the next day a tug-boat 
towed them to Fortress Monroe, and they were 
marched from the wharf to the sally-port of 
the fort, through a double line of soldiers, 
and turned over to the commanding officer. 
After certain necessary preliminaries had been 
gone through with — taking their names and 



440 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

military histories, which would be verified later 
by their descriptive lists — they were assigned 
to the various companies of the Third New 
York Volunteers then under the command of 
Colonel Alvord. 

This body of men was also the remnant of 
a two years' regiment, the term of which had 
expired only a few days before, and was com- 
posed not only of recruits whose terms of en- 
listment had not expired, but also of a consid- 
erable number of men of the Third, who had 
re-enlisted for three years. The regiment had 
served continuously on garrison duty in 
Fortress Monroe ever since its first arrival in 
Virginia, never having changed station or camp 
or made a march. The men wore the regular 
United States' uniform, with all the brass 
attachments, and so far as clothing and equip- 
ments could make them — even to the band- 
boxes for their full-dress hats — were regulars. 
The addition of the men of the Ninth made 
a good sized regiment, of which Colonel Alvord 
and his officers were justly proud. 

The records of the Third New York, on 
file in the War Department, give the number 
of men received by transfer from the Ninth 
New York as 264. There is no data available 
whereby the number of men dropped from the 
rolls of the Ninth by transfer to the Third can 



TRANSFERRED TO THE THIRD N. Y. 44 1 

be ascertained. These numbers should agree, 
but it is known that they do not. Quite a 
number of the men left behind by the Ninth 
were never officially accounted for. 

For a long time subsequent to the consolida- 
tion, conditions in the new regiment were not 
as pleasant as they might be. The 264 men 
from the Ninth were veterans who had been 
continuously in the field ever since they joined 
their regiment, and had taken part in severe 
battles and long marches, and it was only nat- 
ural that they should consider themselves, in all 
soldierly qualities which came as the result of 
military experience, the superiors of their new 
comrades, who had spent their whole terms of 
service behind the parapets of a fort which was 
not even in the enemy's country. They soon 
perceived that they were held in some awe and 
not a little respect by both officers and men 
of, the Third, and they were not slow to 
take advantage of it. They objected most 
strenuously to the regulation uniforms, which 
they were ordered to draw to take the place 
of the Zouave clothing which they were then 
wearing. The opposition was so decided 
that the Colonel and officers finally submitted to 
them and the men continued to wear the uniform 
of their old regiment until it was worn out. 
This wearing of a distinctive uniform served to 



442 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

hold them closer together and kept them in 
a measure separated from the other men of 
the regiment. This, and the knowledge that 
the officers would give way to their demands 
if firmly pressed, was bad for discipline, and 
for a time, or until nearly the whole personnel 
of both field and line officers had been chaneed 
by resignations and other causes, they were in- 
clined to be somewhat riotous and insubor- 
dinate. This gradually wore away, however, 
as the old officers dropped out one by one and 
their places were filled by men who had risen 
from the ranks and who adopted better meth- 
ods of government and discipline, and the Third 
soon developed into an excellent regiment. 

About two weeks after their arrival at the 
fort they were gratified by receiving marching 
orders. The first move was to Portsmouth, 
Va., where they encamped on Paradise Creek. 
From there they were sent to Folly Island, S. 
C, where they arrived in the early part of June, 
and were assigned to Alvord's Brigade, Second 
Division, 18th Army Corps. 

While here the regiment had plenty of actual 
war service, taking part in nearly all the en- 
gagements up to and including the capture of 
Fort Gregg; the men so conducting themselves 
in these engagements as to receive the com- 
mendation of their superiors. 



CAMPAIGNING IN VIRGINIA. 443 

In March, 1864, it joined the Army of the 
Potomac at Glouster Point, Va., and later was 
transferred to the Army of the James, where it 
saw plenty of service both at Bermuda Hun- 
dreds and at the front of Petersburg. In the 
fight at Drewry's Bluff, or Newmarket Road, 
it participated in a brilliant charge, capturing 
and holding the enemy's line for a time, but 
was afterwards outflanked and compelled to 
retire. Several of the boys of the Ninth greatly 
distinguished themselves here, notably Ser- 
geant Todd and acting Sergeant-Major Avent. 
The latter rallied the men, after the repulse 
above noted, and there being no commissioned 
officer present with that portion of the regi- 
ment, which had become separated from the 
rest of the command, established a line in the 
face of the enemy and held it successfully for 
several hours until relieved of command by 
the arrival of a commissioned officer, Lieuten- 
ant James H. Reeves. 

The regiment was engaged in the attack on 
the enemy's intrenchments on the north side 
of the James, under General " Baldy " Smith on 
the day the Army of the Potomac formed the 
junction with the Army of the James. The 
movement as a whole was not a success, if it 
had been the siege of Petersburg would have 
been unnecessary, but the division to which 



444 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the regiment belonged, after being twice re- 
pulsed in the attempt, succeeded in capturing 
that part of the line in their immediate front, 
turning the enemy's guns upon them and fired 
their own shot and shell at the retreating 
rebels. 

The regiment joined the besieging army in 
the works before Petersburg, and during its 
stay there was repeatedly engaged. It took 
part in the mine fiasco and was part of the 
command which held its ground for so many 
hours in the crater. 

While stationed at Chapin's farm a number 
of vacancies anion"; the line officers of the rem- 
ment were filled by promotion from the rank 
and file, five of the positions falling to men 
who had been transferred from the Ninth, viz.: 
George W. Rogers, John Knowles, James 
Rockwell, George E. Avent and E. K. Whiteman. 

When the Fort Fisher expedition was organ- 
ized the Third was ordered to join it. The 
regiment did its full share of fighting, and 
suffered its proportionate loss in the memorable 
attack and capture of that work. Several of 
the men of the old regiment greatly distin- 
guished themselves in the desperate hand-to- 
hand conflict which preceded the capture of the 
fort. Edward K. Whiteman, one of the Zou- 
aves, who although a commissioned officer, 



DISTINGUISHED GALLANTRY. 445 

had not been mustered and was still doing 
duty as a sergeant, led a detachment of the 
regiment over the parapet in the most gallant 
manner, driving the defenders successively, step 
by step, from traverse to traverse, encouraging 
his men by voice and example and winning the 
admiration of all who saw him, until he fell 
dead, literally in the ranks of the enemy, on the 
eighth mound which his party had won by 
their gallant and determined efforts. Thus fell 
a heroic soldier, giving " the last full measure 
of devotion" to his country, and reflecting 
honor on his regiment and on the cause in 
which he served. 

This was the last engagement in which the 
regiment participated. It had become reduced 
to a mere handful in numbers, not so much 
from the casualties of battle, although its losses 
had been large, as from the rapid discharge of 
the men, some of whose terms of enlistment 
began to expire almost as soon as the con- 
solidation had been effected. The first man 
from the Ninth to be discharged from the Third 
was Samuel H. Marsh, who had enlisted for 
two years, just sixteen days after the muster-in 
of the old regiment. From that time onward 
it dwindled away very rapidly, some of the 
men being discharged almost daily. This 
paucity of numbers prevented the muster-in of 



446 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK V0LUN1 EERS. 

a number of officers who had been promoted 
for gallant and meritorious services or for 
marked soldierly ability. From among the 
recruits of the Ninth sixteen men were promoted 
to be commissioned officers, and thirty-two 
to non-commissioned positions, a total of forty- 
eight promotions out of the two hundred and 
sixty-four transferred, or a fraction over eighteen 
per cent. 

The regiment was finally mustered out of 
service at Raleigh, N. C, August 26, 1865. 

In the autumn of 1862, at the time when a 
considerable number of the men of the Ninth, 
who had been wounded at Antietam were con- 
valescent and preparing to return to the front, 
a call was published in the New York news- 
papers, notifying the public generally, that on 
a specified day a meeting would be held at 
the office of Mr. Dexter A. Hawkins, for the 
purpose of organizing and sending to the front 
a regiment to be designated "Second Battalion 
Ninth New York Volunteers." Mr. Hawkins 
was a relative of Col. Rush C. Hawkins, of the 
Ninth, and one of the many patriotic citizens 
of the Metropolis who were contributing freely 
of their time and means in an effort to render 
assistance to the Government in its desperate 
struggle against armed treason. 

Up to that time the Union forces had gained 



THE SECOND BATTALION. 447 

few victories and had suffered many reverses, 
and as a consequence recruiting at the North 
had almost come to a standstill. Mr. Hawkins 
and the gentlemen associated with him desired 
to organize a regiment which would be officered 
entirely by men who had served at the front 
and had gained military knowledge from actual 
experience on the march, in the bivouac, and on 
the battlefield, and thereby inspire confidence 
in such patriotic citizens as might desire to 
serve their country as soldiers, but who might 
hesitate to enlist, in the fear that they might be 
obliged to serve under officers who had no 
more experience in war than they themselves, 
and would in all probability be sacrificed on the 
altar of ignorance and inexperience. 

The meeting was held in pursuance to the 
call, several of the Antietam wounded of the 
Ninth attending, and a preliminary or provi- 
sional organization formed, and headquarters 
for the same established at the corner of 
Broome and Mercer Streets, New York City. 
The field officers designated for the proposed 
regiment were as follows: Colonel, Julius 
W. Adams, who was a West Point graduate ; 
Lieutenant-Colonel, Edward Jardine, then 
Major of the old regiment and serving with 
it at the front; Major, Thomas W. Conway, 
the then Chaplain of the Ninth, who was at the 



448 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

time in New York on leave of absence. The 
positions of line officers were generally left open, 
to be filled later as companies were organized, 
except the few who were designated for the 
companies which were then started, and these 
were selected both from the old regiment and 
from other sources. Charles Curie, of Company 
C of the Ninth, one of the Antietam wounded, 
became first lieutenant of one of the first com- 
panies started. He afterward was adjutant of 
the new regiment. He at once established 
headquarters and began recruiting and pro- 
ceeded with the organization of his company. 
Recruiting just then was slow work. There 
were scores of new regiments being organized, 
the greater number of them, however, remain- 
ing skeleton organizations for months. 

Before the new regiment had secured re- 
cruits enough to entitle it to " muster-in " to 
the service, the term of the old regiment had 
expired and the first excitement attending its 
home-coming had hardly passed away before a 
new Ninth New York was organized, which 
was to be officered exclusively by men of the 
old regiment. The field and staff of the new 
organization as first decided on were Colonel 
Edward Jardine ; Lieutenant-Colonel William 
G. Barnett; Major James R. Whiting, and 
Adjutant G. A. C. Barnett. 



CONSOLIDATIONS AND CHANGES. 449 

There were some changes in the personnel 
made subsequently, due to casualties and con- 
solidation with other regiments. A part of the 
Second Battalion was consolidated with the 
new Ninth, while the remainder, about two 
companies, were combined with other skeleton 
regiments and consolidated into the 178th 
New York Volunteers. 

The personnel of the Second Battalion was 
changed considerably when the Ninth New 
York was reorganized, and further changes 
followed the various consolidations, as above, 
until finally all the field positions were filled by 
men who had not been members of the old regi- 
ment. The consolidation of part of the organi- 
zation with the new Ninth deprived it of 
several line officers also, who were former 
Zouaves. Among those who remained and 
cast their lot with the regiment, which became 
the 178th New York, were Harry Wright, who 
became a lieutenant ; Charles Curie, who 
attained the rank of captain before his final 
muster-out; John B. Gandolfo, who eventually 
became colonel of the regiment, and John B. 
Pannes, who was promoted from the 17th New 
York to a captaincy in the 178th. In addition 
to the above mentioned commissioned officers, 
there was a goodly number of ex-Zouaves 
among the rank and file of the new regiment 



450 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

About the middle of June, 1863, the first five 
companies of the regiment proceeded to Vir- 
ginia, where for a time they formed part of the 
defenses at Washington. Later they were on 
guard duty in and about that city, and while 
there were joined by the remaining companies 
and the regiment completed. 

Meantime the reorganized Ninth, which while 
recruiting had been stationed at Sprague Bar- 
racks, Staten Island, was slowly adding to its 
numbers. When the "July riots" of 1863 
broke out Colonel Jardine and the partly organ- 
ized regiment at once marched against the 
mob, which was in almost undisputed control 
in several different sections of the city, and in 
one of the fights which followed Jardine was 
dangerously wounded. This proved to be an 
injury of such a nature as to disable him from 
further service in the field and to eventually 
cause his death. 

In this fight the troops were at first over- 
whelmed by the mob which was well armed 
with carbines from a sacked gun factory, and 
were obliged to fall back leaving the Colonel, 
who had already been wounded and was unable 
to help himself, behind. Assistant-Surgeon 
White of the old regiment, remained with him, 
and both fell into the hands of the mob. 
White, after receiving a blow from the butt of 



RESCUE OF JARDINE AND WHITE. 45 1 

a carbine, which laid open his scalp and in- 
flicted a serious wound, was hurried away by a 
portion of the mob and preparations began to 
hang him to a lamp post. Jardine, in the mean- 
time, with his extraordinary tact and address, 
which never deserted him under any circum- 
stances, was parleying with the others in an 
almost hopeless attempt to gain time, when 
they were both almost miraculously rescued 
by the timely arrival of reinforcements. 

While Captain Webster and his regulars, of 
which the reinforcements consisted, with diffi- 
culty held the mob at bay in the street, Jardine 
and White were assisted out of the melee and 
taken to a place of safety. 

On the 29th day of August, 1863, two full 
companies of the Ninth were mustered into the 
United States service, and on September 2d, 
under command of Captain James B. Horner — 
who returned at the close of the war major of 
the regiment — were ordered to Fort Hamilton, 
New York Harbor, to report to Colonel Han- 
nibal Day, U. S. A., commanding the post, 
where they did duty with the regular garrison 
until October 16th, when they returned to 
Sprague Barracks. The regiment being still 
incomplete it was here consolidated with other 
organizations and became the 17th New York 
Veteran Volunteers. 



452 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

This consolidation had the effect of relegating: 
Jardine to the position of lieutenant-colonel, 
and leaving Barnett out altogether, the posi- 
tions of colonel and major falling to the share 
of the original 17th, that organization having 
brought more men into the regiment than any 
of the others, and it being customary under such 
circumstances to apportion the officers pro rata. 

Barnett afterward accepted a position in the 
regiment and became the junior captain. 

Jardine, owing to his wound, never joined the 
regiment, and resigned his commission May 
10th, 1864. 

The Zouave uniform of the old regiment, 
which had been adopted by the new Ninth and 
supplied by the State to the regiment, was so 
much admired by the officers of the 17th, that 
it was adopted by them as the regimental uni- 
form. Many of the characteristics of the old 
regiment, including their style of drill, was 
also followed by the new regiment. At the 
grand review in Washington at the close of 
the war the appearance of the 17th, in style, 
uniform and marching, bore such a similarity 
to the Hawkins' Zouaves that it was com- 
mented upon by many of the spectators who 
had been familiar with the appearance of the 
latter regiment. 

Shortly after the consolidation was effected 



MOVEMENTS OF THE 178th NEW YORK. 453 

the regiment was ordered to the front and near 
Washington, D. C, early in the autumn of 
1863, became part of a provisional brigade, 
which was composed of the 178th New York 
Veteran Volunteers, 17th New York Veteran 
Volunteers, and the 34th and 35th New Jersey 
Volunteers. They were ordered to report to 
General Sherman, who was then on the march 
from Memphis to join Grant at Chattanooga, 
and whom they expected to find at or near 
Eastport, Miss. Sherman had already passed 
when the brigade arrived at L that point, and 
after a wait of several days for orders it was 
sent to join Gen. A. J. Smith, at Columbus, Ky. 
The 178th was detached from the provisional 
brigade here and was sent to garrison Fort 
Pillow. From there it joined Sherman at 
Vicksburg, becoming part of A. J. Smith's 
division, and participated in the Meridian raid. 
It was then, with A. J. Smith's and Mower's 
divisions of the 16th Army Corps, sent to 
the Red River country to assist Banks out of 
his trouble, and participating in all the opera- 
tions of that campaign rendered such efficient 
and valuable assistance that Banks' army was 
saved from overwhelming disaster. It was 
then transferred to Arkansas and joined in the 
pursuit of Marmduke, thence to Mississippi 
and Tennessee in the Tupelo campaign and 



454 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the marchings and countermarchings, battles 
and skirmishes in the pursuit of that most 
able cavalry commander, Forest. Always on 
the move with little time for either rest or 
sleep. From there was hurried to Missouri 
to assist in heading off the Confederate General 
Price's movement against St. Louis. Partici- 
pated in the affair at Franklin, where Price was 
defeated and forced to retreated. Followed 
close upon his heels across the State of Mis- 
souri to the Kansas line, where he was over- 
taken and again defeated and his army scat- 
tered. From here the regiment returned to 
Pleasant Hill, where it arrived October 31st 
Between October 1st, the date of the fight at 
Franklin, until the arrival of the command at 
Pleasant Hill, the regiment had marched four 
hundred miles. 

In the early days of December the command, 
which by that time by reason of their long 
marches and unkempt appearance, had become 
known in the army as " Smith's Guerillas," 
joined Thomas at Nashville and took part in 
that battle. In response to instructions from 
General Thomas at that time, directing brigade 
commanders to report the conduct of com- 
missioned officers during the battles before 
Nashville. Colonel E. H. Wolfe, command- 
ing the brigade to which the 178th was 
attached, reported : 



THE SEVENTEENTH NEW YORK. 455 

* * * Without doing injustice, however, to other officers I would 
respectfully recommend for promotion Captain John B. Gandolfo, 
commanding the 178th New York Volunteers. This officer I have 
before recommended for promotion, and the manner in which he dis- 
charged his duties during the engagement of the 16th, has only strength- 
ened my former opinion as to his ability as an officer, and I again urge 
his advancement in the service. * * * 

After the destruction of Hood's army the 
command was ordered to report to General 
Canby, and was a part of his forces in the 
movement against and capture of Mobile, 
which event occurred on April 9th, 1865. 

Having practically reached the end of the 
war the regiment saw no more active service 
and in due course was regularly mustered out. 

The " Seventeenth " remained for a time 
part of the provisional brigade above referred 
to, and after the departure of the 178th was 
engaged in active duty, marching and counter- 
marching, to pursue or intercept the enemy 
over a wide extent of territory. It participated 
in the movement which is designated by those 
who took part in it as the "Meridian raid," 
and in the other operations of the army, being 
almost continuously on the move until the 
winter was well advanced and the ground 
covered with snow. The regiment was after- 
ward sent to Decater, Ala., and during the 
time the command to which it was attached 
was operating in that vicinity became, by 
reason of its various marches and movements, 



456 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

well acquainted with a large portion of north- 
ern Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. 

It finally became part of Sherman's army 
participating in all its movements, including 
the battle of Jonesboro, in which in a brillant 
charge on the enemy's works it lost its Colonel, 
Wm. T. C. Grower, and a hundred men. The 
heroism of Colonel Grower and the gallantry 
of the regiment was so conspicuously displayed 
on that occasion that it attracted the notice of 
General Thomas, who afterward, at the grand 
review at Washington, took pains to publicly 
thank it for the gallantry shown on that occa- 
sion. 

It was prominently active in the Atlanta 
campaign and in the memorable siege which 
terminated that brilliant series of strategic 
movements and successfully fought battles 
which followed each other so rapidly during 
that most remarkable chapter of the war. 

It was part of the army of Sherman, when 
that master in strategy cut losse from his base 
and started on the famous " March to the sea," 
participated in all the hardships of that army 
and shared all its glories. It was actively 
engaged in many of the battles which were 
fought during the progress of that great move- 
ment from Tennessee to North Carolina, and 
participated and suffered severe losses in the 



CAREER OF CAPT. BARNETT. 457 

very last one fought, namely, Bentonville, N. 
C, April 19th, 1865. Three days prior to that 
date, at Averyboro, N. C, the regiment sus- 
tained considerable loss, among the dead being 
Captain William G. Barnett, who was killed 
while faithfully performing his duty at the head 
of his company. He was one of the old 
" Ninth " and his military career was in one 
feature at least a decidedly singular one. At 
the very outbreak of the war he entered the 
service as a captain in the " Ninth," and took 
part as such in the first battle of the Rebellion, 
viz.: Big Bethel, June 10th, 1861. He was 
killed while still a captain in one of the last 
battles fought, having been in the field in 
active service almost continuously during the 
four years intervening. 

The following obituary notice, which is from 
the pen of Dr. J. P. P. White, assistant surgeon 
of the old "Ninth," and which was published 
at the time of Captain Barnett's death, will not 
be out of place here: 

Averyboro, N. C, April 19, 1865. 

* * * In the list of officers killed at the battle of Averyboro, N. C, 
April 16, 1865, occurs the name of Captain William G. Barnett, of the 
17th New York Volunteers. 

He originally entered service in April, 1861, as captain of "B" Company, 
gth New York Volunteers, " Hawkins' Zouaves," serving through all 
the trying and glorious campaigns of that organization with great 
distinction, and contributing perhaps more than any other officer of the 
line to the perfection of drill, which so distinguished it, as well as to 
the efficiency which was so nobly displayed on many a hotly contested 
field. 



458 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Wounded early in the battle of Antietam he refused to leave his 
command which sustained the first shock of the furious flank attacks 
of the enemy late in the afternoon of that eventful day. His term of 
service having expired, he, with Colonel Jardine, attempted to re- 
organize the 9th Regiment, holding the position of lieutenant-colonel. 
During the period allotted for that effort a severe wound received by 
Colonel Jardine in one of the conflicts with the rioters of 1863, in which 
Captain Barnett participated with his usual gallantry, frustrated their 
plans for the future, and on the consolidation with the 17th, he accepted 
with characteristic modesty the position of captain in the latter, shrink- 
ing from no personal sacrifice in his efforts to aid the cause for which 
he gave up his life. 

Peculiar considerations and influences, better understood in his regi- 
ment than elsewhere, prevented his promotion to a rank commensurate 
with his abilities, and his name adds another to the long list of 
heroes, forgotten while living, but honored in their graves. Lulled to 
sleep by the thunder of victorious guns, the last sad salute, the rifle 
shots of his gallant men, he is lying on a well-fought field, the long 
moss of Carolina forests " dewed with nature's tear-drops," waving 
gently over his silent resting place. We leave him to future and 
coming generations, who shall, with reverent feet, hasten to honor the 
martyr who gave his life to regenerate and purify the country. 

As man may he fought his fight, proved his truth by his endeavor; 
Let him sleep in solemn night, sleep forever and forever. 
Leave him to God's watchful eye, trust him to the hand that made him, 
Mortal love weeps idly by, God alone has power to aid him. 

The war was now practically over, and after 
taking part in the grand review at Washing- 
ton, the 17th, together with the other gallant 
regiments of which the armies were composed, 
were mustered out, and the individual members 
of all of them were soon absorbed in the civil 
body, and became again the ordinary unpre- 
tending citizens of the Great Republic. 

These brief sketches of the regiments in 
which so many men of the " Ninth " completed 
their military careers, is simply for the purpose 
of continuing the history of the old regiment 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE NINTH. 459 

under its other designations. At the time of 
the muster-out of the Ninth — a two year regi- 
ment — the war was scarcely half over. A large 
majority of the men who had survived the 
"Accidents of field and flood," at once re-en- 
tered the service. Two hundred and sixty-four 
men whose terms of enlistment had not ex- 
pired remained in the field as the 3d New 
York. As soon as the Ninth had been mus- 
tered out, numbers of the discharged men at 
once re-enlisted in the Second Battalion, and 
still greater numbers in the reorganized Ninth, 
when that regiment was started. In the field 
these men exerted a powerful influence for 
good on their respective organizations. They, 
both commissioned and enlisted, set up their 
old regiment as their standard of excellence 
and strove to bring their respective regiments 
up to that standard and to keep them there. 
The esprit de corps of the Ninth was always 
present and nearly always in the ascendancy, 
and to it was largely due the honorable records 
these regiments made in the service. 

In addition to those who clung together in 
groups and so enlisted in their respective regi- 
ments, a considerable number entered the ser- 
vice separately. Some of these had strong 
preferences for other arms of the service than 
infantry, while others scattered to their homes 



460 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

in more or less distant localities, in New York 
and other States, and entered regiments which 
were recruiting in those localities. 

It is neither desirous, nor would it be prac- 
ticable to give the names of any considerable 
proportion of such men as thus enlisted singly, 
but as a matter of corroboration to the above 
the names of the following members of the 
Ninth who continued their service as commis- 
sioned officers in other regiments than those 
mentioned in this history are here given. 

First Sergeant D. J. Green, of Company F, 
was commissioned in one of the North Caro- 
lina regiments recruited at Plymouth, and 
served with honor and distinction till the end 
of the war; Latham A. Fish, of Company C, 
served his second term as a captain in the 
174th New York Volunteers; Lieut. James 
H. Fleming, of Company I, entered the cav- 
alry after serving his full term in the Ninth, 
and died heroically at Falls Church, Va., while 
in command of his company; Serg.-Maj. Au- 
gustus Dusenbury entered the 35th New Jersey 
Volunteers, and finished his second enlistment 
a captain ; John S. Harrison, lieutenant in 
Company D, joined an Iowa regiment and 
became captain ; Lieut. George W. Debevoise, 
of Company A, after being discharged for dis- 
ability, the result of wound, was commissioned 



SUBSEQUENT SER VICES OF EX-ZOUA VES. 46 1 

in the Veteran Reserve Corps and served until 
the end of the war, leaving the service a major; 
Emil Boese, after being discharged for disabil- 
ity by reason of wound received in battle, 
joined a New York cavalry regiment and 
became a commissioned officer; Charles F. 
Roe, after his muster out, entered the regu- 
lar army, and was promoted through the 
various grades to commissioned officer; Wil- 
liam Paulding, of Company H, served his 
time with his regiment, then joined the artil- 
lery, and before being discharged for disabil- 
ity from wounds in action, reached the rank 
of major; William S. Hudson, of Company C, 
was promoted to a lieutenancy in the 49th 
New York Volunteers, and became a captain; 
Matthew J. Graham, who lost a leg at Antie- 
tam and was mustered out with the regiment, 
was commissioned in the Veteran Reserve 
Corps, and served till the close of the war; 
Captain A. S. Graham, a brother of the forego- 
ing, saw the end of the Rebellion while serving 
as a commissioned officer in the department 
of the gulf; Edwin Dewes, who was mustered 
into the Ninth as Sergeant of Company B, and 
discharged with the regiment as lieutenant, 
entered a Massachusetts regiment and before 
the end of the war reached the rank of 
major; Louis Fucot, a private of Company F, 



462 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

became a commissioned officer of United 
States Volunteers, and served as a staff officer 
in the department of the gulf, during the latter 
part of the war. 

This incomplete list, which does not include 
the names of any from among the scores of 
ex-Zouaves who entered various regiments as 
enlisted men, will serve to show the spirit 
which animated a majority of the men of the 
regiment. These men of the Ninth had re- 
sponded to the President's first call for troops, 
at a time when no other inducements were 
offered to volunteers than the knowledge that 
the life of the nation was in danger, and a 
majority of them remained at their posts until 
the last armed enemy had thrown down his 
weapon and surrendered. 



CHAPTER XV. 

INTRODUCTION TO THE THIRD GEORGIA— VARIOUS MEET- 
INGS ON THE BATTLE FIELD — SEEKING OLD FOES 
AFTER THE WAR— THE NINTH VISITS THE THIRD- 
INCIDENTS OF THE VISIT TO GEORGIA— SPEECHES 
—RECEPTION OF THE THIRD GEORGIA BY THE 
ZOUAVES— HOW THEY WERE TREATED BY THEIR 
OLD-TIME FOES — BANQUETS — SIGHTSEEING —EX- 
CURSIONS— DEPARTURE OF THE GEORGIANS. 

THE fortune of war, or the accidents of 
service, brought the Third Georgia Vol- 
unteers and the Ninth New York into contact 
on several occasions during their respective 
terms of enlistment. At Hatteras in 1861, 
while the Zouaves were occupying that breezy 
watering place, the Third Georgia was for a 
time acting as a corps of observation for their 
side, being encamped at a point about twenty- 
five miles above the inlet. The regiment be- 
came known to the men of the Ninth in some 
unexplainable way, even to the extent of their 
beine familiar with the names of some of its 
officers. To illustrate : Sergeant Graham of 
Company "A," of the Ninth, was drilling an 
" awkward squad " one day among the sand- 



464 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

hills on the beach, when the commanding 
officer, General Williams, appeared on the 
scene. He at once mounted his hobby — "rifles 
and rifle practice" — and proceeded to give them 
all a lecture on the subject and on the import- 
ance of accuracy in the fire of infantry in battle, 
etc., etc., and to make his meaning clear and 
to illustrate the difference between what was 
and what should be, said, addressing the ser- 
geant, "Suppose Colonel Wright (The colonel 
of the Third Georgia) should come down here 
tomorrow and attack us, and I should take 
your regiment out to oppose him, and you 
should expend forty thousand cartridges — 
empty your boxes — what would be the result ? 
Probably forty men killed and a hundred and 
fifty wounded. Why d — m 'em, we should 
have annihilated them at the first fire." This 
serves to show how familiar the General was 
with the regiment, designating it as he would 
one of his own, by the name of its colonel. 

The regiments were afterward in contact at 
South Mills or Sawyer's Lane, South Moun- 
tain, Antietam, and part at least of the Third, 
at Suffolk, so that the name " Third Georgia," 
became in a measure like a household word in 
the Ninth. 

After the war was ended and peace restored 
some of the survivors of the Ninth whose busi- 



PRELIMINARIES TO THE REUNION. 465 

ness took them occasionally into the Southern 
States — Georgia more particularly — endeavored 
to find members of the Third Georgia, with 
whom they would like to compare notes on the 
"late unpleasantness," and talk over the "old 
heroic days." Former members of the respec- 
tive regiment did occasionally meet, and in- 
formal invitations were extended in a general 
way from one to the other, to meet one or the 
other of the regimental associations at their 
annual reunions. Mr. Richard H. Jackson, a 
survivor of the Ninth, finally put himself in 
communication with the officers of the Third 
Georgia Survivors' Association, which led to a 
correspondence between said officers and those 
of the Hawkins' Zouaves Association, and a 
formal invitation from the former to the latter, 
to attend their annual reunion, to be held at 
Fort Valley, Ga., on July 31st and August 1st, 
1889. The invitation was extended by the 
3d Georgia Survivors' Association at their 
annual meeting assembled, the motion being 
carried unanimously amidst great enthusiasm. 
The reading of the correspondence which led 
up to it was received with hearty cheers by the 
survivors present. One of them shouted: 
"Thought we killed them all off at Sharpsburg; 
sorry we killed any of that kind !" another said: 
" Let us run the reunion until we can telegraph 
and have some of them down." 



466 NINTH REGIMENT. NEW YORK: VOLUNTEERS. 

The correspondence between the officers of 
the two asssociations, together with the invita- 
tion, was received and read at the annual meet- 
ing of the Hawkins' Zouaves Association, April 
19, 1889, together with the following letter 
transmitting the same : 

The Survivors' Association, 3D Georgia Veterans, 

Madison, Ga., July 24, 1888. 
Mr. J. C J. Langbein, New York City. 

Dear Sir : — In behalf of our Association, most cordially do I second 
the enclosed invitation to attend our reunion. Come if possible. 
Taste the sweets of peace with us in partaking of a Georgia Barbecue. 
That is what " Banquet " means, as stated in the invitation card. 
We were foes — Let us be friends. 

Yours very cordially, 

W. A. WILEY, Asst. Secretary. 

The communication was received with cheers 
and amid great enthusiasm the invitation was 
accepted ; resolutions expressing the kindly 
feelings entertained by the members of the 
Ninth New York for their old foes were 
passed, and the Secretary directed to forward 
the same to the officers of the 3d Georgia 
Association, and committees appointed with 
power to make all necessary arrangements for 
the trips to Georgia in July following. Every- 
thing being completed, the delegation to attend 
the Georgia reunion left New York by steamer 
and arrived at Savannah, July 30, 1889, where 
they were met by a committee of the 3d 
Georgia Survivors, headed by Secretary A. A. 
Winn, of the Association. Other committees, 



HOW THEY WERE RECEIVED. 467 

both military and civic, also called upon them 
to welcome them to the soil of Georgia. The 
speeches delivered were brimful of fraternity, 
patriotism 'and kind wishes, and the delegation 
was literally overwhelmed with invitations to 
partake of the hospitality of the citizens and 
of the various organizations represented by the 
committees. Extended notices of the arrival 
of the ex-Zouaves, their object in coming to 
Georgia, etc., with sketches of the war services 
of both regiments — flattering to both — were 
published in the press of Savannah, Macon, 
Madison, Fort Valley, Atlanta, and other towns 
throughout the State, all of them filled with 
expressions of fraternal greetings and cordial 
good will, and in every instance breathing a 
spirit of earnest patriotism. 

Short excursions to nearby points of interest, 
organized and carried out by the citizens of 
Savannah, occupied every moment of the time 
the delegation was in the city. At Macon, on 
the way to Fort Valley, there was a repetition 
of the friendly reception received at Savannah. 

Upon arriving at Fort Valley the 3d Georgia 
Survivors were drawn up in a body at the 
depot to receive them. These were supported 
by a great crowd of citizens, and the welcome 
extended was flattering in the extreme. A 
salute of thirteen guns was fired, and an in- 



468 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

formal reception held amidst great enthusiasm 
and excitement, cheers and hand-shaking, when 
they all proceeded to the grand-stand where 
the formal reception was held. The Macon 
Telegraph of August I, 1889, published the 
following from its Fort Valley correspondent: 

" Fort Valley, July 31st. — The people here are all wild with enthusi- 
asm over the reunion of the 3d Georgia Regiment, which opened for- 
mally to-day under the most favorable and pleasing circumstances. 

" Fort Valley is proud of the opportunity of doing honor to herself 
in honoring the grand old 3d Georgia Regiment, and a delegation 
of the 9th New York Volunteers — Hawkins' Zouaves — of New York, 
whose coming so far from home for the sole purpose of meeting, fra- 
ternally, a former foe in one of their regimental reunions, evinces a 
spirit of magnanimity and manhood worthy of the highest admiration, 
and upon whom it has been most lavishly bestowed by the men of the 
3d Georgia Regiment and the citizens of Fort Valley. 

" Upon the arrival of the New Yorkers, on the 11.30 train this morn- 
ing, thirteen rounds were fired in their honor by orders from Colonel 
Claiborn Snead, Colonel of the 3d Georgia. They received an old- 
time Georgia welcome and one which they will never fail to appreciate, 
or which they will ever forget. 

" After the reception a column was formed on Main Street, headed by 
Card's Band, and the regiment together with their guests, marched to 
the grand stand, where the address of welcome was most eloquently 
and touchingly delivered by Mayor A. C. Riley, who formally turned 
over to Fort Valley's guests a quit claim deed to the town and the keys 
to the guard-house." 

During the course of Mayor Riley's remarks, 
he said: "Survivors of the Ninth New York, 
veterans of the Hawkins' Zouaves, we give you 
a cordial welcome. We are glad you were 
volunteers. Your presence does more to 
cement the bonds of love and fellowship than 
all the words of eloquence of all the politicians 
and philanthropists. It is an honor to your 



OLD FOES MEET AS FRIENDS. 469 

own grand State, to our common country, to 
yourselves, and is a living monument to the 
civilization and Christianity of the nineteenth 
century. If you were not brave men you 
would not be here to-day. You could not 
look these old veterans in the eye if you had not 
met them with unfaltering courage on the field 
of battle. We congratulate you — the Blue and 
the Gray — that God has lengthened out your 
lives to see this day." 

After the formal response to the Mayor's 
greeting had been made by the representative of 
the 3d Georgia, Judge Langbein, the Secretary 
of the Hawkins' Zouaves Association, asked 
permission to read the following telegram : 

New York, July 31st, 1889. 
To J. C J. Langbein:— Boys at home send greeting to absentees. All 
hail, Third Georgia ! Once foes— now friends. 

(Signed) HAWKINS' ZOUAVES ASSOCIATION. 

This was received with wild enthusiasm by 
the Georgians, and a hip, hip hurrah ! 

At the regular business meeting of the 3d 
Georgia Survivors, which followed the recep- 
tions, these resolutions were adopted: 

Whereas, The Hawkins' Zouaves have sent to this, our annual 
reunion, a delegation to meet with us as our friends, 

Resolved, That as a manifestation of our appreciation of their 
friendship, and as a testimonial of our lasting friendship for them, we 
hereby Set apart a page on the minutes of our Association on which 
shall be entered the names of the delegates. 

Resolved, That we hereby tender to the Hawkins' Zouaves, and 
send them through this committee, our grateful greeting of their 
friendship and fraternal union forever. 



470 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

A copy of these was delivered to the delega- 
tion to be presented to the Hawkins' Zouaves 
Association at the next meeting. 

A reception and ball was tendered to the vis- 
iting Zouaves that evening, at one of the lead- 
ing hotels. The ball was held at the hotel, but 
the reception extended to every place where a 
member of the visiting delegation presented 
himself. Every house was an open one to 
them and they were received as old friends by 
all. 

On the next day a formal and official wel- 
come to the Zouaves alone was tendered, and 
speeches were made by several prominent 
Georgians, members of the 3d Georgia, and 
others. Colonel Snead, Capt. J. W. Matthews, 
C. B. Barrow, John W. Lindsey and others, 
all spoke eloquently in reference to the era of 
peace, good will and fraternity, which was so 
practically illustrated by the presence of their 
old-time foes, now mingling among them as 
friends. 

Joseph M. Richards, of the 9th New York, 
replied on behalf of his comrades, in an earnest, 
patriotic and soul-stirring speech, closing in the 
following words: 

"Fewer and still fewer, as the years roll on, 
will be the trembling hands that will scatter the 
fragrance of the spring. Fainter and more faint 



COMRADE RICHARD'S SPEECH. 47 1 

will the voices grow that once answered with a 
cheer the word of command, until at last eternal 
silence and peace shall rest over the two great 
armies whose volleys once shook a continent. 
Only a few clays ago, as we count time, the 
flowers which were strewn by the gray-haired 
father and mother, by wife and child, upon the 
graves of the Blue and the Gray alike, were 
symbols not only of the sacrifices of those who 
slept there, and tributes to their bravery, but 
they were significant of the peace which has dif- 
fused as with sunshine this entire land, and of 
that brotherly feeling which has taken pos- 
session of the soldiers' hearts, significant of the 
determination that there shall be but one 
nation ; significant, also, of the fact that there 
has been and is still growing a wider area 
of brotherhood and good feeling among the 
soldiers of both armies, and a conscious sense 
that in honoring the grave of the other as 
well as our own. we are paying a deserved 
tribute to the courage of the American soldier. 

" Mr. John Ruskin tells us, in one of his 
essays, of the possible changes that may be 
wrought from a handful of dust which may 
be gathered up from the streets or highways, 
or from the valley slopes or mountain tops; 
that in that handful of dust are clay and sand 
and soot and water. Give it time enough, 



472 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

and the clay becomes a sapphire, reflecting 
rays as blue as the dome of heaven yonder; 
the sand becomes an opal, the soot a diamond, 
and the drop of water a blazing star of snow, so 
wonderful is the chemistry of nature, with its 
laws of co-operation. Comrades, the dust of 
our heroes lies along the roadside and high- 
ways, in the valley and the thicket in the hidden 
ravine; it lies along the mountain tops and the 
riverside. Spirit of our heroes ! Wherever you 
lie, the ages are thine, and the economy thereof 
is God's. His chemistry never fails, and your 
dust and your ashes — whether you lie in name- 
less graves or stone-marked plots — are being 
wrought upon in the laboratory of the ages, and 
are the foundation-stones — opal, sapphire, dia- 
mond — of this vast country, reaching from 
ocean to ocean, and from gulf to lake." 

Comrade Richards' address was followed by 
impromptu remarks by other of the Zouaves, 
among them Walter L. Thompson and Robert 
H. Alberts. Judge Langbein read a communi- 
cation which had just been received from New 
York, as follows : 

New York, July 31st, 1889. 
J. C JuLiUb Langbein : — 

Peace and good will from those of the Hawkins' Zouaves Association 
who remain behind, to the 3d Georgia. 

The Hawkins' Zouaves Association, composed of survivors of the 
Ninth New York Volunteers, at a meeting held at their headquarters, 
on July 16th, 1889, unanimously resolved, that we hereby empower 
those of our comrades who attend the reunion of the 3d Georgia 



EXTRACTS FROM THE LOCAL PRESS. 473 

Survivors' Association at Fort Valley, Ga., July 31st and August 1st, 
to cordially and fraternally invite them to the next reunion of our Asso- 
ciation on April igth, 1890. 

J. C. J. LANGBEIN, Sec'y, 

Walter L. Thompson, Chairman Ex. Com. 

The Fort Valley Enterprise, which devoted 
almost an entire edition to recounting the pro- 
ceedings of the reunion, thus speaks of this 
detail of the reception: 

" The Judge also read an extract from a sermon delivered by Rev. 
Clark Wright (one of the survivors of the Ninth) to the Hawkins' 
Zouaves at their memorial services last May, and published in the 
Westchester (N. Y.) Times, full of noble sentiments towards southern 
soldiers, and especially toward the 3d Georgia, which the Zouaves met 
in several battles. He also read a letter of great cordiality addressed 
to Commodore Dexter, commending him for his praiseworthy efforts to 
bring about a meeting between these two commands. He also pre- 
sented the regiment with a souvenir from Mrs. Johnson (handed to 
him when he was boarding the steamer for Savannah), being a stone 
taken from a wall at Antietam, in which Federal and Confederate 
bullets are imbedded. But the tide of enthusiasm, which at this point 
was well-nigh lapping the highest dike, burst over all restraint when 
Judge Langbein brought forth a shield of immortelles of blue and gray, 
bearing across its face the words ' 9th New York Volunteer Zouaves to 
3d Georgia Regiment— Peace and Good Will.' This was presented in 
eloquent words and was a charge in this contention of fraternal feeling 
which made the veterans of the 3d Georgia waver, and when the 
Judge concluded, the Colonel of the old Third, seeing that he was 
about to lose the day, rushed in the Commodore — the great standby 
who never flinched in times of trial — to recover the lost ground, which 
he did eloquently and in well chosen words." 

Commodore Dexter's speech was brimful of 
fraternal greetings, sentiments of good will and 
patriotic utterances, many references being 
made to incidents which occurred during 
periods the two regiments were facing each 
other as foes, and brought the public part of 
the reception to a close in a storm of enthusi- 



474 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

asm in which the rebel yell and Yankee cheer 
were again blended. 

The return trip of the Zouaves was attended 
with the same enthusiasm which had marked 
their journey to Fort Valley ; the people of 
Macon and Savannah extending every atten- 
tion possible, making their stay among them 
seem all too short. 

At the annual meeting of the Hawkins' Zou- 
aves Association, held at 136 Fifth Ave., New 
York, on September 30th, 1889, Comrade Rich- 
ards, on behalf of the visiting delegation, re- 
ported the details of the visit, and the kind of 
reception accorded them by the survivors of the 
3d Georgia, and the treatment received at the 
hands of the veterans and their people, which 
aroused the greatest enthusiasm among the 
members present. 

A committee of seven was appointed to pre- 
pare and forward to the 3d Georgia Survi- 
vors a resolution expressive of the feelings of 
the Association at the kind hospitality with 
which they had received the delegation, 
and to extend a cordial invitation to the mem- 
bers of that Association to attend the reunion 
of the Hawkins' Zouaves on the 19th of 
April following. 

The committee presented the following, which 
were unanimously adopted: 



INVITATION TO THE THIRD GEORGIA. 475 

Resolved, That the reception of the delegation of this Association 
bearing our token of " Peace and Good will " to the Survivors' Associa- 
tion of the 3d Georgia Regiment, at their reunion in July and August 
last, as described in the report of our delegation, was marked by so 
warm a hospitality and brotherly attention, that it is meet that an 
expression of our heartfelt appreciation and grateful acknowledgment 
be made therefor. 

Resolved, That it is our sincere desire to have the opportunity by a 
return visit from our friends to express also to them at our homes the 
warm attachment which animates the hearts of the survivors of the 
old gth New York Volunteers toward their oft-repeated foe in battle 
and friends in peace, the survivers of the old 3d Georgia Regiment, 
and that we extend to them a hearty invitation to be with us at our 
next reunion, to be held in this city on the ioth day of April, 1890, and 
that a copy of these resolutions be spread on our minutes, and a copy 
be forwarded to the Survivors' Association, of the 3d Georgia Regi- 
ment, with the urgent request that as many as can will be with us on, 
the 19th of April next. 

(Signed) JOHN HASSALL, CHARLES CURIE, 

JOSEPH H. STINER, JOHN T. MILLER, 
SAMUEL L. MARSH, JAMES DUFFY, 
CLARK WRIGHT. 

JOHN B. PANNES, President, 

Hawkins' Zouaves Association. 
J. C. Julius Langbein, 

Secretary. 

These were forwarded to W. A. Wiley, Sec- 
retary of the 3d Georgia Survivors' Association, 
on February 20th, 1890, but as the Association 
did not hold a meeting until the annual reunion 
in July following, no action could be taken until 
then, when the following answer was received: 

Savannah, Ga., September, 10, 1890. 
Judge J. C Julius Langbein, Secretary, 

Hawkins' Zouaves Association, New York. 
Dear Sir: — At the annual reunion of the survivors of the 3d Georgia 
Regiment, held at Irvington, Ga., on the 30th and 31st of July, 1890, 
the following resolutions were adopted by a rising vote, three cheers,, 
and the famous " Tiger." Very truly yours, 

A. A. WINN, Secretary. 



476 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Resolved, That the kindly expressions of fraternal feelings shown by 
the 9th New York Volunteers (Hawkins' Zouaves), at their annual 
business meeting, held in the City of New York, September 30th, 1889, 
for the Survivors' Association, 3d Georgia Regiment, be, and the same 
are hereby reciprocated individually and collectively. 

Resolved, That we accept with heartfelt thanks the Hawkins' Zouaves 
kind invitation to be present with them at their reunion, April 19, 1891, 
and we urgently request our Association to see that a delegation attend 
said meeting. 

Resolved, That the 3d Georgia Survivors in reunion assembled, send 
greeting and kindly remembrances to the Hawkins' Zouaves, their foes 
in battle — their friends in peace. 

Resolved, further, That our Secretary furnish to the 9th New York 
Volunteers (Hawkins' Zouaves), a copy of these resolutions. 

CLAIBORNE SNEAD, 
President of the 3d Georgia Veterans, 

Augusta, Ga. 
A. A. Winn, Secretary, Savannah, Ga. 

Walter A. Wiley, Asst. Sec'y, Madison, Ga. 

As soon as the above resolutions, with the 
letters of acceptance which accompanied them, 
were received, the preliminary movements to- 
ward making the reunion a success were in- 
augurated. Inasmuch as the coming event 
was not only the thirtieth anniversary of the 
organization of the Ninth New York, but was 
also the anniversary of the battle of Sawyer's 
Lane, or South Mills, as known by the Con- 
federates and Federals respectively, and in 
which these two regiments took the most con- 
spicuous parts and suffered the greatest loss, 
it was the determination of the veterans of the 
Ninth to make the occasion an historic one 
in every respect. It was also their wish and 
intention to enable their friends from Georgia, 



RECEPTION TO THE GEORGIANS. 47 T 

most of whom had never before visited New- 
York, to enjoy the pleasure of seeing as many 
places in and about the city of interest and of 
novelty to them, as it was possible to reach 
during their short stay, and to make every 
moment of that stay enjoyable and interesting. 

The regular Reception Committee consisted 
of George F. Betts, Edward Jardine, James R. 
Whiting, James B. Horner, Richard R. Jack- 
son, George W. Debevoise, Robert H. Alberts,. 
John W. Jacobus, Walter L. Thompson, J. C. J. 
Langbein, Latham A. Fish, Charles Curie, 
Joseph M. Richards and Richard H. Morris. 

On Sunday evening, April 18th, the delega- 
tion of the 3d Georgia, consisting — ladies 
included — of seventeen persons, arrived by 
steamer from Savannah. They were met at 
the wharf by the committee and others of the 
Zouaves, and an enthusiastic reception was 
given them. Carriages were in waiting, and 
after the first salutations were exchanged, they 
were driven to the Hotel Brunswick, where 
accommodations had been provided for them 
and where they made their headquarters during 
their stay in New York. Monday was devoted 
to sightseeing. Carriages were provided and 
the visitors, escorted by members of the Ninth, 
enjoyed a ride in Central Park and Riverside 
Drive, and had an opportunity to visit the 



•478 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Museum of Fine Arts and of Natural History, 
and several other interesting places. 

The hour for the reunion was set for six 
o'clock, at which time all the survivors of the 
Ninth who could possibly reach New York 
were present — one hundred and fifteen in all. 
While the Zouaves and their cruests of the 
Third were enjoying an interval of pleasant 
social converse, previous to entering the supper 
room, Major R. L. McWhorter, of the 3rd 
Georgia, introduced Miss Lizzie Snead, the 
daughter of Colonel Claiborne Snead, of the 
Third, and also the daughter of the regiment, 
who in a very charming and earnest manner and 
in appropriate, well chosen and complimentary 
language, presented a handsome silk national 
flag, which she had made with her own hands, 
to the Hawkins' Zouaves Association. Her 
little speech was filled with beautiful senti- 
ments suitable to the occasion, and when she 
concluded the cheers from the veterans of both 
regiments almost shook the building. Judge 
Langbein responded, on behalf of the Ninth, in 
a short but touching address. 

Arrangements had previously been made for 
a theatre party of ladies for the evening and at 
the conclusion of Judge Langbein's response 
the visiting ladies, accompanied by the wives 
and daughters of several members of the 



AN ENJOYABLE REUNION. 479 

Hawkins' Zouaves Association, were escorted 
to the play, where they enjoyed the pleasure 
of seeing a first-class performance as it is given 
before a metropolitan audience. 

The speechmaking was still in full swing 
when the performance ended and the party 
returned to the hotel. Seats having been pro- 
vided for them in the balcony of the banquet 
room, they were escorted thither and for the 
remainder of the evening listened to the flow 
of eloquence and viewed the scene of animation 
and enthusiasm on the floor. 

The banquet was served in the ballroom of 
the hotel, which was handsomely decorated for 
the occasion, the national flag being used 
lavishly for that purpose. Conspicuous among 
the decorations were the tattered and moth- 
eaten flags of the Ninth, which they had carried 
through the great conflict. When the time for 
speechmaking had arrived Colonel Hawkins 
arose, and in an exceedingly happy and pleas- 
ant address, welcomed both comrades and 
guests to the gathering. 

He said, in part: "Comrades of the Ninth 
New York, and friends of the 3d Georgia, 
let us rejoice that we have lived to realize the 
simple fact of this occasion, an unimportant 
event in the history of a nation, but one which 
emphasizes an existing sentiment for a broader 



480 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

nationality and the vanishing of those imagin- 
ary lines, which are supposed to mark the 
boundaries of sections. It is also a rare oasis 
in the great desert of the usual commonplace 
of modern life, and mutually we must ever 
regard it, and the memories it calls forth, as our 
most precious possessions." * * * " The mid- 
dle-aged men now here, assembled to celebrate 
the birthday of a New York regiment, were 
soldiers in two of the earliest infantry com- 
mands to take the field upon either side. They 
represented the two so-called Empire States of 
their respective sections, and how worthily their 
courage reflected credit upon the communities 
to which they belonged has already been re- 
corded." Colonel Hawkins then sketched in 
a rapid and masterly manner the progress of 
the war, the many and great changes made in 
warfare, armaments and fortifications from time 
to time during the conflict. He related, face- 
tiously, the details of the various meetings be- 
tween the two regiments in battle, and dwelt 
on the mutual respect with which each, no 
doubt, regarded the other, as a result of such 
interviews, which brought fourth rounds of 
applause and heartly laughter ; continuing he 
said : " The war went on. One regiment left 
the service at the expiration of its term and 
before the close, the other fought to the end 



COL. HAW KIN'S WELCOME TO THE 3d GEORGIA. 481 

and went down with the battle-scarred colors 
that had floated over it through those four long 
years of unheard-of privations and almost su- 
perhuman endeavor, never again to rise above 
the storm of battle or to be recognized as 
a national emblem. But the star of victory 
that illumined the banner of the conqueror 
was one of mercy, tempering the pride of the 
victorious and softening the sadness of defeat. 
The scarred veterans of a hundred fields re- 
joiced that peace had come, and with longing 
eyes and quick beating pulse, looked afar off 
toward the dear ones and the homes they had 
left when the bugle blast summoned them to 
danger, and alas, for many, to the path of fame, 
which lead only to the field of death. * * * 
A new South has risen from out the ashes of 
war, more glorious, more national, and better 
equipped for those victories incident to the arts 
of peace than ever before. It did not take the 
men of the South four years to teach us that 
they knew how to fight, nor has it taken 
twenty-five years to prove their capacity for 
labor. The tenacity of purpose they showed 
upon the field of battle did not forsake them 
when the dawn of peace smiled upon their 
shattered banners, but followed to a new sphere 
of action, and enabled them to achieve new 
victories. * * * In this spirit we, who are 



482 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

left of the Ninth New York, greet you who are 
left of the 3d Georgia. We differ with you as 
to the principle for which you fought, but we 
are certain you believed it right, and we know 
you contended for it like brave men, and in 
your heroic efforts we rejoice. There is no 
difference between us now ; we are of one 
nationality, and are proud of our joint history 
of courage and heroism which has become 
the common inheritance of our whole people. 

" It now becomes a pleasurable duty, around 
which centers a sentimental appreciation of an 
unique occasion, such as none of those now 
present are ever likely to witness again, and it 
is to express the greeting which we so gladly 
give to the foes of other days — brothers of the 
same race and friends now. There is the 
ample, good old Saxon word so dear to all 
English-speaking lips which comes near ex- 
pressing all we feel, and I am certain that 
every veteran of the Ninth now present will 
join with me when I say to the survivors of the 
3d Georgia, ' welcome a thousand times to this, 
the thirtieth anniversary of its organization.' ' 

After the applause which greeted the con- 
clusion of Colonel Hawkins' welcome had 
subsided, Colonel Snead arose to make reply, 
and the following is part of what he said: 

" Colonel Hawkins and friends of the Ninth 



COL. SNEAD'S RESPONSE. 483 

New York : For your generous welcome we 
are profoundly grateful. It reaches the heart 
and touches a responsive chord in the bosoms 
of men who were your adversaries in time of 
war, but since have learned to regard you as 
true and trusted friends in these halcyon days 
of peace. * * * In this demonstration we 
take nothing personal to ourselves, for we are 
but a small delegation from the veteran sur- 
vivors of a regiment that for four long years 
traversed in martial array the hills and valleys 
of old Virginia, and whose history is very 
dear to us, in that it is crimsoned all over with 
the blood of fallen comrades. And this tribute 
is especially gratifying, coming as it does from 
soldiers whom I have seen, on more than one 
occasion, march unflinchingly into battle with 
a sheet of fire blazing in their faces, but whose 
gallantry as far outshone that fire as did the 
stars of heaven in their brilliancy. 

" We first made your acquaintance near the 
jungles of the Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, 
in the earlier days of the war. Then your 
greeting was so warm that we rejoiced when 
the interview was over. On two other memo- 
rable occasions your persistent attentions to 
us at close quarters were of such a character 
as to render our position extremely uncom- 
fortable, but when we parted I am sure it was 



484 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

with mutual respect and with no eager desire 
to meet soon again. * * * 

"Your regiment from New York, like ours 
from Georgia, enlisted early in 1861, without 
any draft upon your part or conscription on 
ours. Here were Northern boys and Southern 
boys, with the baptismal dew of youth fresh 
upon their brows, who cheerily went forth to 
battle in obedience to what each deemed to be 
his duty. And whether right or wrong, from 
your standpoint or mine, I care not, for there 
is the pleasing reflection that each displayed 
the noblest attributes of a soldiery that knew so 
well how to illustrate American valor. * * * 

"Thus united by the ties of friendship and 
animated by a lofty patriotism, they can mutu- 
ally join in the grand acclaim — 

A union of rivers and a union of lakes. 

A union of lands and a union of States, 
A union of hearts and a union of hands, 

And the flag of our Union forever." 

The cheering and applause which greeted 
these remarks were enthusiastic, and were again 
and again renewed. 

The Rev. Clark Wright, to whom was 
assigned the duty of responding to the toast 
in honor of the Ninth New York, had a 
delightful task to perform, and one to which 
he was [fully equal. He said: "A private sol- 
dier who carried a gun, who was the least 



SPEECH OF THE REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 485 

of all the men who surround you to-night, is 
to tell you what you have already learned in 
your intercourse with the members of the 
Hawkins' Zouaves Association of this city, 
namely, that we are glad to see you, and 
that we take great pleasure in giving you a 
most cordial welcome to this the thirtieth 
anniversary of the organization of the Ninth 
New York Volunteers." 

He sketched the history of the regiment, 
its organization and services, in a very inter- 
esting manner, at the same time referring, in 
a way which produced much applause and 
shouts of laughter, to the meetings which 
took place between the two regiments during 
the war and to the opinion each had of the 
other at that time, and concluded as follows : 

"You, my countrymen, whether from Georgia 
or New York, to-night, these the remnant of 
more than two thousand men, these your 
comrades gathered here to salute you as we 
bring to mind your faithfulness as soldiers 
and rejoice with you that our country has 
passed from the hurricane to the calm, from 
out of all that crash of which we were part, 
to liberty, union, brotherly love and peace." 

The response for "the 3d Georgia" was by 
Hon. John W. Lindsey, one of the survivors, 
and formerly a sergeant in that regiment, 
who spoke in part as follows: 



486 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

"Fellow countrymen, I deem it an honor to 
stand here and respond to the encomiums 
pronounced upon the soldiers of the Confed- 
erate Army. It is a pleasure to me to greet 
you as fellow countrymen, for we are sons 
of a common mother, on whose bosom we 
lean for protection. We are here to-night, 
true to our allegiance to the Constitution and 
laws of the American Union, without any 
qualification whatever ; to demand nothing but 
what you are willing to grant us as free Amer- 
icans; to invite you to join with us and aid 
us in driving from our vocabulary that most 
abominable of all words — sectionalism. 
We are here to renew an acquaintance sought 
long years ago, under less favorable circum- 
stances, and with you to transmit the spirit 
of these fraternal greetings to the youth of 
the land, for we desire to consecrate not only 
ourselves, but our sons and daughters, to the 
preservation of the liberty of this Union. ' * 
We see as you do those columns of blue and 
gray in the fields of Virginia, who fell fighting 
for the cause they believed to be the true one. 
In vindication of that right of our convictions, 
we discharged our duty, as you did. 
But when you fought your last fight, fired your 
last volley, and received the command that 
began your homeward march from Appomat- 



RE TROSPECTION B V SERG T. L INDSE Y. 487 

tox, you went to be greeted as victors — the 
voices of a thousand cannon gave you a wel- 
come such as never had been heard before. 
Thus you returned, and retired to your homes 
to enjoy all that is sweet and dear to noble 
manhood basking in the sunshine of grateful 
people. You forgot that other army which left 
Appomattox on the same day that you did. 
Our march southward was not greeted with 
applause, nor our announcement welcomed by 
cannon. We bade each other good bye in 
silence, and shed tears as we departed to our 
homes, only to see the marks of desolation left 
by the stern hand of war. What did we do ? 
Sit down and brood in silence? No. We 
stepped from the very warpath of battle to 
the works of peace. We walked behind the 
plow to win a living for our own. Our farms 
were devastated, our slaves freed, our families 
scattered, yet we went to work in the sunshine 
of peace in the same spirit in which we had en- 
gaged in war. * * * By industry we have 
wrung from the soil our sustenance. As years 
have rolled on recuperation has come, and now 
we have a country to which we are proud to 
invite you, and to which we do invite you." 

The speech and the sentiments of Sergeant 
Lindsey were greeted by enthusiastic applause, 
which was not subdued until the chairman 



488 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

announced that the formal exercises of the 
evening would close by the recitation of Gen. 
Charles G. Halpin's poem, "Just Eleven." 
This was given by Maj. James B. Horner in 
excellent style. 

Robert L. Johnson, of the Zouaves, in a voice 
which his comrades thought had lost none of 
its sweetness, then sang one of the old songs of 
the soldier days, when the meeting became 
an informal camp fire, which continued until 
a late hour. 

Next day enough carriages were provided 
to accommodate all the guests of the Associ- 
ation, together with the members of the 
Reception Committee, composed of Messrs. 
Horner, Langbein, Searing, Curie and Miller, 
who accompanied them, and an extended sight- 
seeing tour was entered upon. This covered as 
much of the upper portion of Manhattan Island 
as could be comfortably gone over in a day. 
On the way up, all places of interest on the 
east side of Washington Heights and upper 
part of the island were visited, and the 
strangers afforded ample time to view the 
same. 

Arriving at Fort George, one of the most 
beautifully romantic spots on the whole island, 
and from which a grand panoramic view of the 
Harlem river and the heights of Westchester 



KEEPING THE GEORGIANS BUSY. 489 

may be obtained, the party stopped for 
luncheon, the West End Hotel having been 
secured by the committee for their exclusive 
use for that purpose. 

The return to the city was by the western 
roads, from which many fine views of the Hud- 
son and the palisades beyond may be obtained, 
and which also gave the visitors the oppor- 
tunity to admire the many elegant private 
residences which are dotted so thickly along 
the different roads, and the large number of 
stately buildings, the homes of public and 
semi-public institutions of a beneficent char- 
acter, with which that portion of New York is 
graced. 

Sight-seeing was continued almost without 
interruption during the remainder of the stay 
of the visitors, with occasional theater parties 
and puncheons, to break the monotony and 
give variety. 

A cordial invitation had been received from 
the proprietor, through Mr. Robert L. Cutler, 
the erst-time manager of "The Zouave Minstrel 
and Dramatic Club," of Roanoke Island, for 
the members of the Association and their 
guests to visit Harrigan's Theater. This was 
accepted, with the thanks of the comrades, and 
a large party enjoyed one of Harrigan's inim- 
itable productions. Arrangements had been 



490 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

made which afforded ample facilities for such 
of the guests as delighted in theatrical enter- 
tainments to visit the theaters on any evening 
during their stay. 

Comrade John T. Miller and Adolph Libaire 
escorted parties of the visiting delegation to 
the Stock and Produce Exchanges, thus giving" 
the Georgians an opportunity to observe the 
antics of the Bulls and Bears in their native 
jungles. 

A trip to West Point was arranged, and 
the whole delegation, under the escort of 
Messrs. Searing, Horner and Jackson, visited 
that historic and interesting place. They were 
cordially welcomed by the officers of the Mil- 
itary Academy, who entertained them very 
pleasantly during their stay, and took special 
pains to make their visit an exceedingly grati- 
fying and memorable one. This visit to 
historic West Point, combined with the river 
journey and the grand scenery of the noble 
Hudson, will no doubt long remain a pleasant 
memory with the participants, both visitors 
and guests. 

On the last day of the stay in New York 
the ladies of the visiting delegation were 
entertained at luncheon at the Downtown 
Club by Mr. Latham A. Fish, one of the 
committee. It was designed to be an affair 



ENTERTAINING THE VISITING LADIES. 491 

that would be remembered with pleasure by 
those in whose honor it was given, and the 
resources of the establishment were taxed to 
the utmost in making it elegant and dainty, 
even beyond what was usual at that exclusive 
club. The room was tastefully and hand- 
somely decorated, the tables banked with flow- 
ers and elegant souvenir menus, handsomely 
designed and printed on satin, were provided 
for each of the guests. 

After nearly a week devoted to entertain- 
ment, pleasure and recreation, and during 
which the members of the Hawkins' Zouaves 
Association had taxed their ingenuity for ways 
to provide novel and pleasant surprises for 
their guests, the Georgians — the time allowed 
for their visit having expired — departed for 
their homes by the Savannah steamer. A 
numerous delegation of Zouaves escorted them 
to the wharf. 

A meeting of the Georgians was held on 
board the ship just before sailing, and a series 
of resolutions very flattering to the men of 
the Ninth were passed and a copy of the same 
handed to the Secretary of the Association. 

The New York Sun, in its issue of the next 
day, thus summarizes the visit of the 3d 
Georgia: 



492 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

"The Confederate veterans of the 3d Georgia Survivors' Association 
have received a hearty welcome in the city. They have fraternized 
with the Union veterans of the Hawkins' Zouaves. They have been 
banqueted in the New York style to their hearts' content. They have 
been taken to various theateis by day and by night. They have 
enjoyed the speeches of sundry ready orators, as well as the strains of 
music, and they have seen the sights of the city and its parks from the 
open carriages that were at their service. We trust that these Con- 
federate veterans from Georgia have had a pleasant time during the 
several days of their stay in New York." 

Thus ended a meeting which probably has 
no parallel in the pages of history. Two 
regiments serving in opposing armies, whose 
acquaintance began on the battlefield while 
engaged in deadly strife, sought each other out 
after peace had been secured, and in admira- 
tion, each for the other, and actuated by an 
earnest desire to re-establish cordial fraternity 
between those who had once been foes, met 
together and announced to the world that there 
was no lingering animosity in the breasts of 
either, that the victors had no conditions they 
wished imposed upon the vanquished, and 
that the latter fully and without equivocation or 
reservation, accepted the verdict of the sword 
and became brothers under one flag with their 
former foes. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

CEREMONIES AT THE DEDICATION OF THE MONUMENT 
ERECTED ON THE BATTLEFIELD OF ANTIETAM IN 
MEMORY OF THE DEAD OF THE NINTH NEW YORK 
VOLUNTEERS— PRELIMINARY WORK OF THE COM- 
MITTEES—JOURNEY TO THE BATTLEFIELD — COM- 
RADE RICHARD'S INVOCATION — COMRADE GRA- 
HAM'S INTRODUCTION — ADDRESS BY COLONEL 
HAWKINS — UNVEILING THE MONUMENT — ORATION 
BY REV. CLARK WRIGHT, OF COMPANY F — THE 
PRESENTATION TO GENERAL CARMAN — REVISIT- 
ING POINTS OF INTEREST— THE RETURN. 

FOR years the intention to erect a monument 
to perpetuate the name and fame of the 
Ninth New York Volunteers (Hawkins' Zou- 
aves), and to commemorate those who yielded 
up their lives in defense of the nation during 
its term of service, had been steadily kept in 
view by the Association composed of the sur- 
vivors of that regiment. 

As early as in the latter days of the service 
of the regiment, at Suffolk, Va., the matter was 
frequently talked over, and ways and means 
of successfully accomplishing the desired object 
discussed. At first the intention was vague 
and undefined. It was an intention but was 
without form. The men were young and in- 



494 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

experienced in business methods and hardly 
knew how to begin. 

Years passed with nothing accomplished. At 
last, in 1890 or 1891, the question was brought 
up at the annual meeting of the Association, 
and it was resolved that a united and deter- 
mined effort should be made to accomplish 
this most desirable object. 

Among the most active of the comrades in 
assisting to bring the work to a successful 
completion, and whose names should be men- 
tioned here in connection with it, were Rush 
C. Hawkins, Robert L. Johnston, James B. 
Horner, P. J. L. Searing, Charles Curie, Walter 
L. Thompson, J. C. J. Langbein, James H. 
Folan, John T. Miller, John Hassall, George W. 
Debevoise, John W. Jacobus, Latham A. Fish, 
and James R. Whiting, allJof whom assisted 
in every way possible, to further the object in 
view. 

The actual labor was divided among several 
sub-committees, each of which had its own 
separate part, while all worked together. An 
immense amount of detail had to be worked 
out. An appropriation of five thousand dollars 
was secured from the Legislature of the State 
of New York, and an equal sum was sub- 
scribed and paid by the members of the Asso- 
ciation. These amounts provided for cost. 



NECESSAR Y PRELIMINAR ) ' IVOR A'. 495 

Then came the question of design, the selection 
of material, etc., and quarries had to be visited 
and inspected in order to determine where the 
most appropriate and durable stone could be 
procured at satisfactory prices, and to enable the 
committee to intelligently enter into the con- 
tracts for the work. The position to which the 
regiment advanced during the charge at An- 
tietam, and where the greatest loss of men 
occurred, had to be positively identified, and a 
plot of the ground purchased — at many times 
its actual value — upon which to erect the 
monument. The negotiations for right of way 
over adjacent lands and arrangements for 
compensating the owners for prospective dam- 
ages at an exhorbitant rate had to be completed. 
All these, and many other details, entailed a 
great deal of work on the committee. Many 
visits, both to the Vermont quarries and to the 
battlefield, were absolutely necessary. In addi- 
tion, a large amount of correspondence relatino- 
to the work had to be conducted. 

Notwithstanding the careful and methodical 
manner in which every step in the progress 
of the work had been taken, unforeseen diffi- 
culties frequently presented themselves, and 
annoying and vexatious delays occurred, which 
interfered seriously with the progress of the 
undertaking, so that it was not until Memorial 



496 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Day of 1897, that the monument was erected 
and ready for dedication. 

The members of the Association cordially 
approved of the design the committee had 
decided upon. They also thoroughly appre- 
ciated the work done in their behalf by the 
committee, the unselfish interest with which 
each member of it had devoted himself to the 
work, and the successful and gratifying manner 
in which it had been carried out. 

This approbation was more especially due 
and accorded to the monument sub-committee, 
Messrs. Hawkins, Curie and Horner, who were 
untiring in their efforts, and to whom is largely 
due the credit for the final success of the under- 
taking. 

The same committee completed the arrange- 
ments for transportation to the battlefield and 
return, which was ample, comfortable, conve- 
nient, and in every way most satisfactory. 

On Friday evening, the 28th of May, 1897, a 
well-appointed special train left Jersey City for 
Antietam, bearing a party of survivors of the 
reeiment and members of their families, num- 
bering in all eighty persons. This number 
was increased at various points on the route 
by other survivors from various and distant 
parts of the United States until the number of 
veterans actually participating in the ceremonies 
was ninety-one. 



GATHERED AT THE DEDICATION. 497 

Thus the remnant of this gallant regiment 
returned after a lapse of thirty-five years, still 
an organization and under the presidency of 
the man who had been their first and only 
colonel, to dedicate on the bloodiest battlefield 
of the Rebellion, a monument to their fallen 
comrades. Every participant in the ceremonies, 
from orator to bugler, with the single exception 
of the daughter of a comrade, who unveiled the 
monument, was a former member of the Ninth 
New York Volunteers. 

When the company had assembled at the 
monument the ceremonies were begun by 
Colonel Hawkins, the President of the Associa- 
tion, announcing as follows : 

" No braver or truer soldier honored^ the 
ranks of the Ninth New York Volunteers than 
its chief musician, who holds a large place in 
the affections of his comrades." 

" And I now take great pleasure to call up 
' our Tom Flocton,' who was equally handy 
with both bugle and musket, to use the same 
old bugle with which he sounded the charge 
upon this field, to sound out once more upon 
this historic ground, whose soil was drenched 
by the blood of so many of his comrades, the 
'assembly', once so familiar to us and so pleas- 
ant to remember." 

After the " assembly " had been sounded the 



498 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

President introduced Rev. Joseph M. Richards, 
as one formerly a private in Company F, of 
the Ninth, and a good and true soldier of the 
Republic, and who had for many years been 
enlisted in another army, that of the Prince of 
Peace. Mr Richards offered the following 
prayer : 

" Our Father, Thou whose throne is in the 
heavens, yet whose glory and majesty and 
power is seen in all things which Thou hast 
created, and whose love is realized and under- 
stood and felt, because of the providences with 
which Thou hast surrounded our being, we 
come into Thy presence with uncovered heads 
and bowed hearts, glad that we may acknowl- 
edge Thee to be our Father ; and as we 
approach into Thy presence we come remem- 
bering not only all the dangers and vicissitudes 
which once surrounded our lives in this place, 
but we come remembering too all the mercies 
and goodnesses which have followed our 
lives hitherto. We thank Thee that thou dost 
not only permit us, but has graciously invited 
us to come to Thee, and not only come to 
Thee, but with prayer and supplication make 
known our wants and our requests. Therefore 
on this glad occasion, and at the very threshold 
of these services we ask Thy presence and Thy 
blessing upon all the exercises of this hour, 



COMRADE RICHARDS' INVOCATION. 499 

upon all Thy servants here before Thee, and 
upon all these comrades who have met after 
the lapse of years in a scene fraught with such 
grand and far reaching significance, while its 
surroundings are filled with the memories of a 
terrible carnage. Grant, our Father, that the 
memories of this hour, memories of marches 
and battles, memories of deliverances, memories 
of comrades whose forms are scattered on this 
once fearful battlefield, may inspire us to a 
more heroic devotion to Thee, and a more 
faithful consecration of our lives, and a more 
steadfast performance of our duties on earth. 
Bless, with the blessing which Thou only can 
bestow, the members of this regiment and 
friends here present, and while our heads are 
bowed, and we remember how many homes 
were made desolate on this battlefield, we ask 
too, thy blessing upon the widows and orphans 
who yet remain. Bless our country, and grant 
that justice and truth, unity and love, peace 
and prosperity may abound throughout its 
length and breadth. Guard it in the future as 
Thou hast in the past, and grant that it may be 
an example to all nations. Cement us together 
in the bonds of peace ; make us more and more 
one people, and may thy blessing be upon it 
forever. And, our Father, when the march of 
our individual life is halted, when the last 



500 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

battle to be fought is ended, and the victory 
won, grant, we pray Thee, that we may enter 
into an eternal bivouac in Thy Kingdom above. 
We ask it in His name, who taught us when we 
prayed to say, ' Our Father who art in Heaven, 
hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, 
Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; 
give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us 
our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass 
against us; lead us not into temptation, but 
deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, 
and the power, and the glory for ever and ever, 
Amen." 

The President then introduced Lieutenant 
M. J. Graham, with the following remarks : 

" It is fitting that in the dedication of this 
memorial the Grand Army of the Republic 
shall take part in the ceremony. And it is 
sentimentally fortunate and most appropriate 
that we have with us to-day an esteemed com- 
rade whom we all honor, and who upon this 
spot performed brave and honorable service 
which made him a cripple for the rest of his 
life. 

" He is now at the head of a Grand Army 
Post, named in honor of one of our brave 
lieutenant-colonels, who was killed while in the 
service of his country. 

" It is now my pleasurable duty, tinged with 



LIEUTENANT GRAHAM'S INTRODUCTION. SOI 

the sadness of memories of far off sorrows, to 
present Lieutenant Matthew J. Graham, who 
will conduct the Grand Army part of the cere- 
monies." 

Lieutenant Graham's remarks were as fol- 
lows : 

"Friends and Comrades: — To-day is the festi- 
val of our dead. We unite to honor the 
memory of our brave and our beloved, to en- 
rich and ennoble our lives by recalling a public 
heroism and a private worth that are immortal, 
to encourage, by our solemn service, a more 
zealous and stalwart patriotism. Festival of 
our dead ! Yes, though many eyes are clouded 
with tears, though many hearts are heavy with 
regret, though many lives are still desolate be- 
cause of the father or brother, the husband or 
lover who did not come back ; though every 
grave which a tender reverence or love adorns 
with flowers is the shrine of a sorrow whose 
influence is still potent. Despite it all, to-day 
is a festival — a festival of our dead. No less a 
festival because it is full of solemnity. 

"And now, as in this silent camping ground 
of our dead, with soldierly tenderness and love, 
we dedicate this, our monument, let us recall 
those who made their breasts a barricade be- 
tween our country and its foes. Let us recall 
their toils, their sufferings, their heroism, their 



502 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

supreme fidelity in camp, in prison-pen, on the 
battlefield, and in hospital, that the flag under 
which they fought, and from the shadow of 
whose folds they were promoted, may never be 
dishonored ; that the country for whose union 
and supremacy they surrendered life, may have 
the fervent and enthusiastic devotion of every 
citizen ; that, as we stand in this place as before 
an altar, we may pledge our manhood that, so 
help us God, the memory of our dead shall en- 
courage and strengthen in us all a more loyal 
patriotism." 

Colonel Hawkins' then addressed those pres- 
ent as follows : 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, and Comrades of the 
Ninth New York: — To be permitted to express 
upon this field a greeting of welcome to the 
surviving members of the regiment I had the 
honor to command is the most interesting- and 
gratifying duty I have ever been called upon 
to perform. I share with you all the conflicting 
emotions of pleasure and sadness which fill 
our hearts as we gaze upon the faces once so 
familiar to us, and recall to our minds the 
many stirring scenes in the far off past in which 
we participated. Although but a remnant of 
the patriotic band remains, the old spirit sur- 
vives. 

" The heart-throbs of youth are weakened by 



OPENING ADDRESS B Y COL ON EL HA WKINS. 5 3 

age, but the bond of affectionate comradeship 
is as strong as ever ; time has not affected that, 
and never will. The chain forged upon battle- 
fields which binds together the men of the 
Ninth New York Volunteers can never be 
broken. 

"This is characteristic and as it should be ; 
and now here, upon this to us dearest spot on 
earth, let us renew our fealty to each other and 
the sacred memories of the past, which are so 
honorably interwoven with out military ser- 
vices, and which are the brightest jewels in 
our earthly crown. The incident which has 
brought us together is only a part of what has 
gone before. It is perfectly natural that we 
should meet upon this field appropriately to 
honor the bravery of our companions who here 
gave up their lives. 

" Holding prominent place in the earliest 
known record of human achievements, we find 
reference to monuments erected to perpetuate 
memories of heroic deeds and notable events 
in the history of nations. From a most remote 
period the custom of monument building has 
been handed down to the present, ever ac- 
cumulating strength rather than diminishing, 
and to-day it may be safely claimed for our 
countrymen that during the last half of the 
nineteenth century they have surpassed all 



504 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

other nations in the number of memorials they 
have erected to keep alive in the hearts of the 
generations to come the thrilling story of the 
heroism of those citizen soldiers who fought 
for the preservation of a government, es- 
tablished for the purpose of continuing our 
political experiment in the interest of constitu- 
tional liberty. 

" It may be said that the culmination, as to 
magnitude, simple grandeur, beauty of indi- 
vidual examples and perfected artistic purity, 
was realized by the Greek architects and 
sculptors who wrought during the supreme 
Hellenic period. The matchless proportions 
and refined details of their wondrous concep- 
tions formed a fitting crown to a civilization 
which fostered the cultivation of the heroic and 
beautiful as had never been done before or 
since. The Greeks of that time, by reason of 
their appreciation of the beautiful in art and its 
ennobling and refining influence upon their 
nation, occupy the exceptional position in the 
history of races and peoples which no lapse of 
time can efface. 

" Running in parallel lines throughout the 
history of civilization, we find love of the beau- 
tiful and worship of the heroic joined together, 
the ever-reminding evidence of the presence of 
those higher and better qualities of our imperfect 



COLONEL HAWKINS' ADDRESS. SOS 

natures, which lift humanity to a plane above 
the commonplace of a merely material exist- 
ence. 

" This companionship of the artistic with the 
heroic has taught us that the office of the beau- 
tiful and noble in art is to give living and 
enduring expression to the heroism of the 
ages. Art is the recording agent of great 
deeds. To the hero worship within us we 
owe the incentive that inspired the illustrious 
masters of the arts of all times — imperishable 
masterpieces which have excited the admiration 
of succeeding ages and kept alive in the hearts 
of generations living memories of man's great- 
est achievements. 

" To-day, in our humble and imperfect way, 
we assist to continue the beautiful custom born 
of antiquity. 

"The solemn and impressive magnitude of the 
work before us will attest for many generations 
to come the love and respect a people bear 
for our brave comrades who nearly thirty-five 
years ago laid down their lives upon this 
never fading field of honor; not only a field of 
honor for those who fell face to the foe, but for 
those who fought shoulder to shoulder with 
them. Many have since fallen by the way, but 
those here to-day who tread again this sacred 
soil testify their love and loyalty for the dead 



506 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

of their regiment, who here gave their lives 
for a cause they had sworn to promote and 
maintain. 

" This simple memorial, fashioned out of a 
people's gratitude and placed by our loving 
hands, will stand a silent sentinel, ever jealously 
watching over the blood-enriched soil of this 
sanguinary field. And although silent, yet a 
living and imperishable record of one of the 
most thrilling pages in the history of man's 
sacrifice for a truly exalted ideal. 

" Although more than thirty-four years have 
passed since the tragic event we now com- 
memorate, we remember that awful day and 
the unspeakable slaughter. And we remember 
too, that it was unnecessary, and our victory 
brought no perceptible result. Thrust unwit- 
tingly forward to a position of exceptional 
danger, face to face with the forces of armed 
rebellion greatly outnumbering an already 
depleted command, unsustained by adequate 
supporting force, our devoted regiment encoun- 
tered almost alone the concentrated fire of 
superior numbers, which nearly annihilated its 
thinned ranks, until there was left but a rem- 
nant to tell the tale of horror through which it 
had passed. This was but one link in the 
chain that dragged through years of needless 
slaughter; one of the results that marked the 



RE TROSPECTION. 507 



unnecessarily slow progress of a merciless war. 

" In history, Antietam stands for our most 
sanguinary and earnestly contested single day's 
battle, and was attended with the largest pro- 
portion of fatalities. Like many battles of our 
Civil War, it was fought without preconceived 
plan or definite aim, and ended barren of the 
hard-earned results which, if garnered, might 
have finished the war. At best it was a con- 
test of accidents, fought in detached patches, 
without cohesion of lines, at different hours of 
the day, when subordinate officers and the 
rank and file made immortal records, seldom 
equaled and never surpassed. It was not the 
fault of the Army of the Potomac that its com- 
mander failed to perceive or to take advantage 
of the victory his command had thrust upon 
him. 

" Under the circumstances then existing, to 
permit the army of Northern Virginia to recross 
the Potomac was an unpardonable neglect. It 
amounted in its results to a crime against a 
patriotic people whose blind confidence in in- 
competent leaders was only equaled by their 
ignorance of military affairs. The capture of 
any considerable part of the Confederate Army 
at that time would have placed Richmond at 
the mercy of the Army of the Potomac. Then 
the end of the war would have been a matter of 



308 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

months instead of years. The incidents we 
now recall are beyond correction. They have 
passed into the boundless province of history, 
and we can only say, 'Let the dead bury the 
dead.' 

''While never forgetting the great sorrow 
which came to us with the reopened knowl- 
edge of our mighty sacrifice, we must consider 
the patriotic cause for which it was made and 
not hold ourselves responsible for the outward 
misfortunes of war. 

" Now, however, more than a third of a cen- 
tury after Antietam was fought, consolation has 
come to their companions who survive. We 
have witnessed how sincerely they who fell 
were mourned. We know what they did is 
gratefully appreciated, and are sure that the 
future will not forget their heroic deeds. 

" In all ages the luster which gathers around 
the memories of those who fall upon the field 
of battle stands out from the accumulating 
mists of time as the great signal stations in the 
histories of nations, emphasizing the ever-pres- 
ent heroic attributes of the human race. And 
so it is with those whose heroism we honor to- 
day. They have joined that silent and cease- 
less procession which leads to immortality." 

When the hearty applause which greeted 
these remarks had ceased, Colonel Hawkins 



UNVEILING THE MONUMENT. S09 

announced that the time for unveiling" the 
monument had arrived. In introducing Miss 
Lillian Elsie Horner, to whom the honor of re- 
moving the flag had been assigned, he said : 

"For this occasion we are compelled to call 
upon one of the second generation to assist in 
our dedicating ceremonies. We have with us 
the daughter of one of our most affectionately 
esteemed comrades. As a non-commissioned 
officer, he came within a half of a mile of beine 
in the first battle of the rebellion, and as major 
of a regiment was in the last fight on Southern 
soil. Not content with serving his full term in 
the Ninth and being mustered out as an officer 
covered with honor, he again entered the ser- 
vice of his country and in time became the 
major of the 17th New York Veteran Volun- 
teer Infantry. 

" I am sure we are all happy to have him 
with us upon this almost sacred occasion. 
Hale, hardy, vigorous, and, if need be, quite 
as full of fight as ever. I now take great pleas- 
ure in presenting Miss Lillian Horner, the 
daughter of Maj. James B. Horner, and call 
upon her to uncover this monument." 

Miss Horner wore a costume which was both 
unique and beautiful in effect, being fashioned 
out of the National flag, and as she stepped 
forward to perform her part in the ceremony, 



SIO NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

her appearance was so graceful and striking 
that it brought forth rapturous applause from 
the assemblage. Seizing the cords which con- 
trolled the covering of the monument, she said: 

"To the memory of the brave men of the 
Ninth New York Infantry — Hawkins' Zouaves 
— who fought upon this field, and especially to 
those who died here that their country might 
live, we now dedicate this monument." 

The flags were removed, the act being ac- 
companied with the applause of the assembled 
veterans, and the monument was disclosed in 
all its beauty, simplicity and stateliness. It is 
of Barre, Vt, granite, in four pieces, of simple 
design and imposing dimensions, and of suffi- 
cient proportionate breadth for its height of 
fifty-two feet. It consists of a monolith on an 
admirably proportioned die and base. The 
monolith is forty feet long, tapering from four 
and a half feet at the base to three and a half 
feet at the top, and said to be the largest single 
block of granite ever quarried at Barre. On 
each panel of the die is an inscription. On the 
first, under the words " Toujours Pret," the 
motto of the regiment, appears, "Erected by 
the State of New York to the memory of the 
Ninth New York Infantry (Hawkins' Zouaves) 
who fought on this field September 17th, 1862." 

The others are: 



THE MONUMENT. 5 1 1 

" About 2 p. M., having forded Antietam 
Creek, the regiment, meeting with desperate 
resistance, advanced to this position and held 
it until ordered elsewhere." 

" The greatest mortality occurred near this 
position, where the regiment contended with a 
superior force of infantry and artillery." 

"Members present for duty in action, 373; 
killed, 54; wounded, 158; missing, 28. Total 
loss, 240. Two companies were detailed and 
engaged elsewhere and did not participate in 
the advance." 

The President, Colonel Hawkins, introduced 
the orator of the day, as follows: 

" Among the younger of those who enlisted 
in our regiment, and performed good service, 
was one who has lived to arrive at a mature 
estate and now holds an honorable position 
anions - his fellowmen. He was of those who 
though younger than the law required for mili- 
tary service, could not be held back from the 
carrying out of a determined patriotic purpose. 
Law or no law, he had made up his mind to go 
into the army and fight for his country. 

"This boy-soldier was destined to survive and 
to become a soldier in another and a greater 
army, where he could exercise a wider field for 
the benefit .of his kind. 

"He is known as the Reverend Clark Wright, 



612 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and I now 
take great pleasure in presenting him to you as 
the orator of the day." 

After receiving a flattering greeting from his 
old comrades, the Reverend ex-Zouave spoke 
as follows : 

" Comrades of the Ninth New York Volunteers, 
' Hawkins' Zouaves : ' 

"Ladies and Gentlemen: — On this battlefield 
the heroic deeds of the honored sons of the 
Empire State greet you ! We gather to mark 
the spot where they fell, and dedicate this 
monument that shall tell to future generations 
the heroism, fidelity and courage of the faithful 
soldiers of the State of New York. 

" The greatest mortality in one day, of all the 
battles that have been fought in the New World, 
transpired on this battlefield thirty-four years 
ago. During the war of 1861 to 1865 there 
were 1 1 2 battles fought, where the mortality 
exceeded 500, but here, on this, the bloodiest 
battlefield of the war, the combined loss of both 
armies was nearly 25,000 men. 

"We come to-day, not to glorify ourselves 
nor to depreciate the brave men who met us on 
this sanguinary field, but are here to speak in 
behalf of the men who, coming from their 
peaceful homes in our native State, willingly 
sacrificed their lives that the Union might be 



OR A TION OF RE V. CLARK WRIGHT. 5 1 3 

unimpaired, that our flag should float unsullied, 
without one star dimmed, and the Republic 
continue to live among the nations of the earth. 

" We gather to do honor to those whose 
blood flowed freely on this spot, while these 
hills around us were the last scene their eyes 
beheld ere they closed in death. We come to 
speak for those whose lips are silent, and tell 
the present generation of deeds performed by 
them, equaling in heroism and devotion Mara- 
thon or Thermopylae, Horatious at the Bridge, 
or the old Guard at Waterloo. We come to 
speak of the American soldier at Antietam. 

" Some things never die. They live on in 
enduring immortality while the sun continues 
to shine and the earth revolves in its orbit. 
The good men do; the self-sacrifice, devotion 
to duty, consecration to a patriotic work will 
live as the story of heroism and fidelity is 
repeated from one generation to another, and 
will be a monument to the memory of the 
fallen heroes, more enduring than this beau- 
tiful monolith of granite, or the bronze tablet 
upon which their names are inscribed. And 
while we, their comrades, who knew them so 
well, who stood by their side on this and other 
battlefields, are here with the accredited repre- 
sentatives of the Legislature of the State of 
New York, who erected this memorial to mark 



514 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the spot on this bloody battlefield where they 
fell, let us rejoice that their memory has 
a more enduring monument in the Republic 
that lives, in the Union unbroken, in the starry 
flag without stain upon its escutcheon, which 
their heroic acts and vicarious death perpetu- 
ated, as we remember, their deeds will be 
forever enshrined in the hearts of their country- 
men. 

"With gentle tread and bated breath we 
come to look upon the scene around us, for 
we know we are on holy ground, reverently, 
devoutly, we stand here in the midst of this, 
the nation's holy of holies, a place consecrated 
as no human lips can consecrate the earth, as 
no waters scattered by the hand of man can 
hallow the soil, for it was here on this spot the 
last prayer, the last sign, the last breath, the 
last drop of blood came from the patriot's heart 
making this place forever sacred, as his life- 
blood baptized the ground with a baptism that 
shall forever regenerate the nation, banishing 
disunion and sectional strife, and exalting the 
American Republic to the highest pinnacle of 
greatness among; the nations of the earth. 

" Any words poor human lips can utter can- 
not add to the sanctity nor enhance the record 
of the honor and glory of the brave men who, 
coming from their peaceful homes in New 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 515 

York, paid the greatest price mankind can pay, 
even the last drop of blood in their bodies, that 
future generations might enjoy the freedom 
and happiness found on the broad domain of 
this fair land and protection wherever its starry 
flag may wave. 

" Who were these men ? Nearly all the men 
composing our regiment were graduates of the 
public school, of all trades and professions, 
averaging twenty-one years of age. In the 
ranks were those who could build a locomotive, 
edit a newspaper, survey the land, pilot a 
steamship across the ocean, conduct a case at 
law, preach a sermon, direct a commercial 
house or command a regiment. Men of intel- 
lectual power, brave as the bravest, gentle as 
women ; men who could treat the enemy with 
clemency in the day of victory, manifest mag- 
nanimity in the hour of power, who could 
philosophize and find encouragement amid 
dark reverses ; who decked manhood and 
truth with a halo, patriotism and martyrdom 
with a glory that can never fade, and a self- 
sacrificing devotion that causes the whole 
world who know their story to exclaim: 'These 
died, not for themselves, but for their country!' 
They had no old world aristocratic lineage 
traced through effeminate dukes, counts, or 
lords, but far nobler, they were American 



516 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

citizens who, with face to the foe and breast 
exposed to the deathful fire of a determined 
enemy, stood for the right as God showed them 
the right, in defense of home, freedom, and 
native land, until all who saw the heroism 
displayed on this spot rise and place a chaplet 
of fame and glory upon the grave of these true 
sons of New York, and write their epitaph in 
a word that means more than star or garter, 
ribbon or decoration, as we, their comrades, 
inscribe upon the tablet that marks their rest- 
ing place the words : ' These were men ; men 
who were true to God, their duty and their 
sacred honor.' This is the character of those 
who fought in the ranks of the Ninth New 
York, Hawkins' Zouaves, on this spot, more 
than thirty-four years ago. 

" How different our surroundings to-day 
from that of September 17, 1862. To-day the 
birds sing sweetly in the tops of the trees that 
in other days were mutilated by shot and shell. 
The husbandman peacefully reaps the fruit of 
the soil while the children sit quietly at our 
feet and listen to our story of the battle of 
Antietam. 

" Let us briefly ^recall some of the scenes that 
crowded these fields with the troops of two 
hostile armies. 

" General McClellan, in his official report of 



OR A TION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 5 1 7 

Antietam, states: ' Nearly 200,000 men were for 
fourteen hours engaged in combat' The Offi- 
cial Record states that General McClellan's 
army was composed of the following : 



1st Corps, . 


14,856 


2d Corps, 


. 18,803 


5th Corps, 


12,930* 


6th Corps, 


. 12,300 


9th Corps, 


13,819 


2th Corps, 


10,126 


Cavalry Division, 


4,320 


Total, 





87,154 

" There is a great diversity in the figures 
of the enemy concerning the actual number of 
troops they had on this field ; some place their 
number as high as 97,000, others as low as 
70,000 troops. The best Confederate writers, 
however, declare they had about 75,000 men, 
making a total of 162,000 in the combined 
armies. The distance from the right to the 
left of each wing of the army was about four 
miles as the bird flies, but because of the irreg- 
ularity of the ground the actual distance was 



greater. 



"The right wing of the Union Army was 
near Keedysville, General McClellan's head- 
quarters being about a mile south of that place. 

*A1 though only 8,500 men of this corps were actually engaged. 



518 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The extreme left wing, under command of 
Gen. A. E. Burnside, was south of what history 
designates as Burnside's Bridge. General Lee 
had his headquarters near Sharpsburgh, very 
near where we are now assembled. Here the 
two armies met, and General Longstreet sums 
up the result of this battle when he says: 'At 
Antietam was split the keystone of the arch on 
which the Confederate cause rested.' 

"Our interests at this hour are associated 
with the 9U1 Army Corps, whose dead lie 
buried in seven States of the South, and whose 
banners are inscribed with battle after battle, 
from Roanoke Island to the Fall of Peters- 
burgh. It was commanded most of the time 
by the chivalrous Christian gentleman and de- 
voted soldier, Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside. At 
Antietam, however, General Cox commanded 
the 9th Corps, Burnside being in command of 
the left wing of the army, General Rodman 
commanded our division, and Colonel Fair- 
child the brigade that occupied this particular 
part of the battlefield thirty-four years ago. 

"The objective point of the engagement at 
this part of the field was to drive the enemy 
from their guns, capture their position, and 
cause them to retreat across the Potomac ; this 
was the object, and Hawkins' Zouaves were 
ordered to lead in the charge south of the 



OR A TION OF RE V. CLARK WRIGHT. S 1 9 

bridge, expecting the troops of the left wing 
of the Union Army would be ready to support 
them in the desperate undertaking. But, sup- 
ported or not, their duty was to advance, and 
forward they went. 

"Up to this time this continent had not seen 
a battle like this about to take place, which 
Horace Greeley characterizes (2d Vol., page 
211) as the 'bloodiest day America ever saw.' 

"Of the one thousand eight hundred and 
eighty-two general engagements, battles, or 
affairs in which at least one regiment was 
eneaeed, Colonel Fox states in his book of 
regimental losses that, while Gettysburg was 
the greatest, Antietam was the bloodiest, and 
tells us more men were killed on that one 
day than any other one day of the war. 

"That September morning the sun looked 
down upon the flower of the best manhood this 
country had produced, young men from north 
and south in the bloom of health and strength. 
The choicest and best material were in both 
armies — volunteers in the highest sense, be- 
cause up to this time enlistments were vol- 
untary, and drafts, force or financial induce- 
ments to obtain men were comparatively un- 
known. 

" Our comrades of other regiments who per- 
formed valorous deeds on this field will not 



520 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

charge us with discourtesy or neglect of their 
faithful efforts if we turn to the consideration of 
the work performed and triumph achieved by 
the regiment whose monument we here ded- 
icate, the Ninth New York, Hawkins' Zouaves 
of Hawkins' Brigade (in temporary command 
of Colonel Fairchild) Rodman's Division, 9th 
Army Corps. 

" Before Fort Sumter had been fired upon 
the nucleus of this regiment, composed of 
gentlemen living in the city of New York, had 
formed an organization, and immediately upon 
the publication of Abraham Lincoln's first 
proclamation calling for 75,000 troops in de- 
fense of the country, Col. Rush C. Hawkins 
tendered to the Government a regiment that 
became in after years conspicuous and hon- 
orably known as ' Hawkins' Zouaves.' 

"I will not recount the details of the or- 
ganization of the regiment, the presentation 
of colors on the Fifth Avenue by Dr. Gard- 
ner Spring, of the Presbyterian Church, the 
departure for the seat of war, the days spent in 
camp at Newport News and Fortress Monroe, 
nor relate the story of the battles of Big Bethel, 
Hatteras, the bayonet charge of Roanoke 
Island, a similar one at Camden, North Car- 
olina, nor the story of Plymouth, Winton, 
Fredericksburgh and Suffolk, and other engage- 



ORATION Ob REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 521 

ments through which we passed, but turn 
our attention directly to the scenes preceding 
the battle of Antietam, and the work performed 
on this field September 17th, 1862. To do 
this, let us go back a few days before that 
battle. On the 7th of September, Col. Rush 
C. Hawkins, to whom we all owe a debt of 
gratitude, the beloved commander of the reg- 
iment, transferred the command to the heroic 
Lieut-Col. E. A. Kimball, and in obedience to 
imperative duty, regretfully took his temporary 
departure. The regiment encamped that night 
at Meridian Hill, remaining there until three 
o'clock on the morning of the 9th, when, after a 
march of twelve miles, it rested near Brook- 
ville. Starting again, it arrived near Layton- 
ville at ten o'clock the same night. Next 
day it was again on the march, passing Damas- 
cus and Ridgeville, and camping south of the 
latter place; and, although it rained hard all 
night the tired men lay down on the ground 
and slept soundly. On the 12th it passed the 
town of New Market, meeting only the slight 
resistance offered by a few shots from the 
enemies' guns near the Monocacy Ridge. Gen- 
eral Rodman's division ascended the Ridge 
and came near the city of Frederick, where 
they remained all night. The 18th was occu- 
pied in supporting Rushes' Lancers, who were 



522 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

pressing the videttes and rear guard of the 
enemy. Reaching JefTersonville, where a cor- 
dial welcome was accorded the regiment by 
the inhabitants, it returned the same night to 
Frederick, which proved a night of uproar 
and excitement caused by a fire in the town. 
At three o'clock the next morning up again, 
like a hound after the prey, arrived at Mid- 
dletown at ten o'clock the same morning, 
where, after eating the little that remained of 
the rations, pushed on in the direction of the 
battle of South Mountain, fording a small 
stream at the foot of South Mountain, and 
up the precipitous sides of the stony slope, 
reaching the battlefield of South Mountain 
about five o'clock, where the regiment was 
placed to support a battery on the left of the 
line. After dark the regiment was ordered on 
picket duty, guarding the extreme left of the 
army. An incessant firing was kept up be- 
tween General Reno's command and the enemy. 
It was here our old friend, whose acquaintance 
the regiment first formed at Roanoke Island, 
met his death. An excellent soldier, a devoted 
patriot, a man of sterling character and noble 
qualities — the regiment realized we all lost a 
personal friend in the death of Maj.-Gen. 
Jesse L. Reno. 

" The brunt of the battle of South Mountain 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 523 

was fought by the 2nd and 9th Corps, and con- 
tinued until nine o'clock, when the firing ceased 
and the quietness was unbroken. Awakening 
next morning the regiment found there was 
no breakfast, as the supply train had gone in 
the wrong direction. After foraging, some 
green corn was secured in the adjacent fields. 
Food or no food the boys were in hot pursuit 
of the enemy, and the hungry regiment pressed 
forward, crossing Little Antietam Creek near 
Keedysville, passing Locust Springs, coming 
to the foot of Red Hill, where, weary and sup- 
perless, all lay down to rest. Next morning 
the supply train had not yet arrived, and the 
regiment was shelled by the enemy just at a 
time when hard-tack was needed more than 
hard shells. During the day, however, pro- 
visions were obtained, and the regiment was 
directed by General Rodman to take position 
on the extreme left of the Army of the Poto- 
mac. A cornfield close to the enemy was that 
night the scene of the bivouac. Company C 
was ordered on picket, the balance of the regi- 
ment getting such rest as circumstances per- 
mitted before the terrible, eventful scenes of 
the morrow ; for, as the sequel proved, this was 
the last camp ground, the last earthly comrade- 
ship, the last night many of these heroic souls 
who had marched, toiled, suffered and fought 



524 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

with us, were to have, e're they yielded their 
life in defense of Liberty, Union and Truth. 

"Let us briefly glance back at the night scene 
of September 16th, 1862 : Near Antietam 
creek, amid dense darkness where, because of 
the immediate proximity of the enemy, absolute 
silence was a necessity, the quietness inter- 
rupted only by the bubbling Antietam Creek, 
that flowed on its way then as now, the other 
regiments of our brigade, the 89th and 103d 
New York, also lay quietly at rest. On the 
opposite banks the enemy were industriously 
engaged placing batteries in position. No 
glimmer of moonlight nor twinkling stars to 
cheer the eye of those who, lying in the mud of 
that cornfield, thought of home, mother, and 
loved ones e're they closed their eyes in sleep, 
while the sky was veiled by clouds as the 
Angel of Death was spreading her wings over 
the camp e're she should take one and another 
of that quiet host to herself on the morrow. 

" Could the mothers of New York have vis- 
ited this field that night, knowing what the 
morrow would bring, the heads of the soldiers 
would not have lain on the ground ; they 
would have taken their boys upon their breasts 
and pillowed them upon mother's heart; and 
though we know our mothers cherished us 
better than their own heart's blood, they would 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. S2S 

have told each to be faithful in the performance 
of duty; for our mothers of New York gave 
their boys to their country and her God, with a 
realizing sense of the desolateness of heart and 
loneliness of home that was to follow their 
great sacrifice in their pilgrimage through life. 

" God bless the mothers of our sacred dead 
who gave their boys to die in defense of our 
country ! 

" We cannot bring their sons back to life, but 
we are here to affectionately honor their mem- 
ory and perpetuate their record, while we 
cherish in loving remembrance the parents who 
laid their choicest treasures upon the altar of 
their country. 

"With the first gray tint of morning our 
regiment was awakened by the shells from a 
six-gun battery on the opposite side of the 
creek. The shells were falling fast, and here 
Louis Fuco, of Company F, picked up a twelve- 
pound fuse shell, that fell under Colonel Kim- 
ball's horse, and threw it down the embank- 
ment where it exploded. A change of position 
was ordered further to the left, and later our 
own aggressive battery in charge of our boys 
of Company K did excellent service, and 
ultimately succeeded in silencing the early 
morning disturbers of the peace. Throughout 
the entire day Company K did efficient ser- 



"256 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

vice and magnificent work wherever they were 
placed with the battery of the regiment. 

" On the extreme right of the Confederate 
Army, facing our extreme left, General Long- 
street had concentrated several batteries of 
artillery, and here, near the cemetery and to 
the right and left of Sharpsburgh, artillery was 
placed, whose range extended down the sur- 
rounding slopes toward Antietam Creek. 

" The official record of the War Department 
of Union and Confederate Armies (Series I, 
Vol. 19) says: 'It is very evident the critical 
hour with the Confederate right wine was 
about 4 o'clock p.m., on the 17th,' which was the 
time of the final charge. 

" General S. D. Lee, Commander-in-Chief of 
Artillery of Longstreet's Division, says (page 
846 of above column) : ' He had centered his 
artillery at Sharpsburgh village, and the im- 
mediate vicinity ' and names the following bat- 
teries present at that point: 'Miller's, Parkes', 
Moody's, Jordan's, Richardson's, Norman's, 
Rhett's, Carter's, Squire's, Mcintosh's, and Eu- 
bank's batteries.' These are referred to by 
General Toombs also, who commanded in- 
fantry before Sharpsburgh, and others, as doing 
effective service for the Confederates between 
3 and 4 p.m. on the 17th. According to the 
Confederate reports, the smallest number of 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 527 

guns any of these batteries contained was four, 
most of them had six guns. Supporting this 
artillery were troops from Georgia, Virginia, 
North and South Carolina. It would appear 
as though General R. E. Lee, realizing the 
critical situation of this part of the battlefield, 
fixed his headquarters at the village of Sharps- 
burgh, where this particular locality would be 
under his immediate supervision. The battle 
raged during the morning all along the line, 
but before the enemy could be whipped and 
made to retreat across the Potomac, this posi- 
tion must be captured and the enemy driven 
from their guns. 

"General Burnside directed General Rod- 
man, Commander 3rd Division, 9th Army 
Corps, to drive the enemy from their position 
on the west side of Antietam Creek ; and our 
brigade composed of the 89th, 103d, and 9th 
regiments, all troops of New York, were or- 
dered to advance upon the enemy. Major 
Jardine, of our regiment, had been placed tem- 
porarily in command of the 89th New York, 
and with the 103d, did valiant service, but be- 
cause of the rough and uneven nature of the 
ground, or other reasons, these regiments did 
not keep alignment with Hawkins' Zouaves in 
the final charge that drove- the enemy from 
their guns, so that the last bloody charge at 



528 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

the stone wall was was made practically alone 
by the Ninth Regiment. Sometime after two 
p.m., the regiment forded Antietam Creek, a 
short distance below the Burnside Bridge, re- 
ceiving the fire from the enemy on the oppo- 
site side. 

" Sergeant Johnson of our regiment, whose 
two brothers were killed in this battle, says : 
' We were ordered to form line and advance. 
The hill that stood in our front was the one 
from which the rebels opened on us in the 
morning. As we advanced the enemy retreated 
to a hill beyond. We lay for about half an 
hour on this hill, all the while receiving the 
rebel fire.' 

" Lieut. M. J. Graham, while gallantly lead- 
ing his company, lost his leg in this battle. 
He writes: ' The practice of the rebel artillery- 
men was wonderful in its accuracy. They 
dropped shot and shell into our lines repeat- 
edly. They kept the air filled with missils of 
of every variety, from schrapnel to railroad 
iron. The schrapnel and cannister were very 
much in evidence. I saw one of our men in 
the hospital afterward — Jas. H. Brainard, of 
Company D, who had nine wounds in his right 
arm. I watched solid shot and round shot 
strike the ground with what sounded like an 
innocent thud, and bounding over battery and 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 529 

park, fly through the tree tops, cutting them 
off so suddenly it seemed to me they lingered 
undecided which way to fall. I was lying on 
my back, watching the shells explode overhead,, 
and speculating how long I could hold up my 
finger before it would be shot off (for the air 
seemed full of bullets) when the order was 
given to advance.' Concerning the charge 
Lieutenant Graham says : 

" ' I could see the line of the regiment short- 
ening as we advanced. We could hear the 
crash of missiles through the ranks, and, strange 
as it may seem, the sound brought like a flash 
to my mind a saying of Lannes' when describ- 
ing the battle of Austerlitz: "I could hear the 
bones crash in my division like glass in a hail- 
storm." ' 

"This is the testimony and recollection of 
two of our faithful comrades of the scenes of 
that eventful day. 

" Let us return to our narrative. 

"All day long death was reaping a terrible 
harvest amid these hills and dales, thirty-four 
years ago. The shells from the enemy's guns, 
on the early morning of the 17th of September, 
resulted in the loss of twelve men of the regi- 
ment, wounded, and before these guns ceased 
their immediate action upon the regiment, 
heavy cannonading and long deep rolls of 



S30 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

musketry could be heard all along the line to 
the right of where our regiment was stationed, 
showing that the battle was raging with fierce- 
ness and intensity. 

" The key to the situation on the left imme- 
diately in our front was what was known as 
'The Burnside Bridge,' which crossed the Antie- 
tam. Here the enemy had planted his guns and 
disposed his regiments to make a determined 
stand, and it was not until one o'clock in the 
afternoon that our old friends of the 51st New 
York, who had fought with us [at Roanoke 
Island, assisted by the 51st Pennsylvania, 
gallantly charged and carried the bridge at the 
point of the bayonet. Shortly afterward our 
regiment, as already indicated, was ordered 
to ford the creek below the bridge and, forming 
in line on the bluff opposite, drive the enemy 
from their places of security behind the stone 
walls and onward toward Sharpsburgh. The 
crossing was disputed. As our regiment ad- 
vanced into the water several men went down 
before reaching the opposite shore. Between 
three and four o'clock the enemy retired as the 
regiment advanced by the right flank along 
the bluff of the creek for about half a mile to 
the brow of a hill. At this point our regiment 
was within about eight hundred yards of the 
enemy's main body of artillery and infantry. 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 531 

Up to this time the loss was meager compared 
with what was about to take place. The steep 
assent, rough nature of the ground, promptness 
in the execution of orders, caused the men to 
be fatigued and out of breath. On arriving at 
this point the regiment halted to recover breath 
before making the next charge. 

" Here was where the rebel batteries opened 
a most scathing fire of shot and shell, and 
although men were falling upon the right hand 
and left the regiment was as passive and calm 
as at an evening parade ; each soldier seemed 
to say: 'Come one, come all; these rocks shall 
fly from their base as soon as I.' 

" After a brief time the order came to advance, 
which was quickly obeyed, moving in line of 
battle dressing on the colors with as much 
coolness and accuracy as though upon drill 
ground. Proceeding about two hundred yards 
the command 'Double quick, charge!' was 
given. Flocton, of Company F, with a blast 
from his bugle that could be heard in Sharps- 
burgh, echoed the command over the hills, when 
with a loud huzzah and the cry of ' Zoo ! Zoo ! 
Zoo!' peculiar to our regiment, forward went 
Hawkins' Zouaves into the fiercest fire that 
could be rained upon a devoted regiment. 
Thousands of the enemy's troops, consisting of 
infantry and several batteries of artillery, were 



532 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

firing upon the regiment with terrible effect, 
and looking back upon that scene it appears 
wonderfully miraculous that one soldier es- 
caped to tell the tale. Here the gallant Cooper 
fell; one shell killed eight men; a round shot 
took off Conway's head ; Bussam was cut in 
twain by a shell ; the men fell on top of one 
another, while bullets, shell, grape-shot and 
cannister were poured into this devoted band 
like hail, producing a scene of carnage dreadful 
to behold. Not a man wavered or faltered ; 
even the wounded as they fell cheered the 
reeiment onward. One soldier with the whole 
of his jaw and the lower part of his face shot 
away, unable to speak, took his fez and waved 
it above his head, mutely signaling the words 
he was unable to utter to his comrades, 
' Forward.' 

"Sergeant Salisbury, with a bullet hole 
through his breast, from which the blood was 
spurting, about to fall, encouraged the mem- 
bers of his company with the words : ' Never 
mind me, boys, I've only got a little breast-pin 
— Forward!' The brave impetuous hero of 
Chapultepec, Lieutenant-Colonel Kimball and 
Acting- Adjutant Horner, leading the way, on- 
ward they went; Barnett, Harrison, Childs, 
Leahey, all were wounded ; Graham, Herbert, 
Burdett, Pannis, Dusenbury, one after the 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. S3 3 

other were struck by the enemy's fire ; Searing, 
Forbes, Dews, Geayer, Watson, Whitney, 
Sites, Keating, Smith, Russer, Groser, Hol- 
land, were wounded or killed amid this with- 
ering fire. Curie, Van Cott, Farrel, Stephens, 
Lawrence, Judge, Adair, with many others, fell 
faithfully discharging their duty; and although 
the line had been broken and the company 
diminished by the fire of the enemy, these 
heroic men, worthy sons of the best blood 
from the City of New York, our comrades, 
closed up the ranks, and rallied around these 
same colors, keeping the old flag that they 
swore to defend, bravely floating to the breeze 
as they charged down to the gates of death, up 
the mouth of hell. 

" Dear old flag ! Companion of many a 
hotly contested battle ; we bring you to-day to 
the scene of one of your greatest struggles 
and grandest triumphs. Your tattered rags 
and mangled staff speak in more eloquent 
words than human tongue can utter, for you 
tell us of the encouragement your presence 
afforded, when tired and thirsty we toiled on 
the path of duty. 

"O! old starry flag, tattered and mangled, 
have you power to hear ? Then listen to-day. 
The arm that fought for you, the hand that 
upheld you, the heart that beat for you, the one 



534 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

that loved you, is dead, buried in the grave, 
and you come again to Antietam battlefield 
to manifest affectionate regard for the heroes 
who lie buried on this battlefield. They loved 
you, old flag, with a love exceeding that of 
woman! Weep on, old flag, weep on! The 
ear of these slumbering heroes will not hear 
your sob, their eyes do not see your sorrow, 
mark the tatters of your folds, nor the feeble- 
ness of old age that has come upon you, 
dear old flag ! Their soul is undisturbed ; the 
chaplet of victory is won ; the battle is over ; 
the warfare is ended ; Jesus Christ, the World's 
Redeemer, has bent over their clayey ten- 
ement, and whispered in accents of peace, 
' Sleep on now and take your rest' 

" Your faded colors tell us who survive of 
Bethel, of Hatteras, of Roanoke, Winton, South 
Mills, Fredericksburgh, Suffolk, and other bat- 
tles through which you passed. You bring 
back the faces of those who marched by our 
side, whom you saw as they fell wounded, 
bruised, mangled ; you heard their dying 
cry and your stars were the last object their 
gaze rested upon ere their souls took their 
flight. But, it may be, the spirits of our 
dead comrades who fell here in 1862 are 
with us again to-day at this reunion, and look 
with joy on these old flags they gave their life 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 533 

to defend. Comrades from the spirit world, 
with all our soul we greet you ! Comrades of 
our boyhood (now immortal), all hail! We 
welcome you, for we know none have more in- 
terest or right here than you ! 

"You remember, time after time, the one who 
was bearing the flag fell wounded or dead. 
Myers was the first to go, and then Hankinson, 
then Van Cott and Adair; then another and 
another; and hardly had John Fink, of Com- 
pany F, grasped it, when he fell stricken down 
in his tracks. Recovering strength, he crawled 
from under four men who had fallen by the 
same fire. This old flag was dyed in blood 
that day. The color-guard died faithfully per- 
forming their duty. The white stripes turned 
red and the blood flowed from those who 
thought more of this starry emblem than of 
life. One bullet pierced the staff and then 
buried itself in the forearm of Patterson, but 
grasping the colors more firmly, he cried, 
' Forward ! ' when another bullet pierced his left 
eye and he fell with his face to the foe. All 
honor to the color-guard and the men who sus- 
tained them upon the right and left in keeping 
the flag waving. There was no mistake con- 
cerning these men. Americans were on guard. 
That morning the Colonel had called Captain 
Libaire to him, and both knowing they were to 



S3 6 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

pass through a fearful ordeal, the Colonel said : 
' I will commit this flag to your keeping,' and 
the magnificent, heroic Libaire replied, ' I will 
bring it back in safety, or you will never see my 
face in this world again.' And now the issue 
was upon Libaire, the enemy was directly in 
front, their guns and musketry were cutting 
swaths in the regiment; eight times had the 
colors fallen to the ground, the eight different 
men — one after the other — had picked it up, 
each carrying it but a few steps and then 
falling wounded or dead, and the flag falling 
on top of them. It seemed instant death to 
carry the old flag that day; but the thought 
of duty was greater than the thought of 
danger, and as the flag went down the 
last time, the gallant Libaire himself sprang 
forward in the midst of the reign of death 
and the horrors of hell, grasped the colors 
firmly in his hands, and with flashing eye and 
cheerful tone, cried at the top of his voice : 
' Come on, boys ! Come on ! ' and never sur- 
rendered his hold until he had planted this 
American flag upon the stone wall, the last 
defensive position the enemy's infantry held, 
while the remnant of our regiment pressed for- 
ward and drove the enemy's gunners from their 
cannon * 

*Since this address was delivered, Captain Libaire had received the 
Medal of Honor from the Government, in recognition of this act, 
thirty-five years after. 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 537 

" Concerning this last charge our faithful 
soldier friend, Captain Curie, writes : ' About 
four or five o'clock the order to advance was 
given. All the men then rose to their feet, and 
soon were on the march "double time'' toward 
the village of Sharpsburgh. The enemy's bat- 
teries, which, prior to that time had been using 
only shell, began to pour out grape and can- 
nister, making sore havoc on our ranks from 
the time we began to move. There was a lane 
between two fences, some of which were down, 
so that some of the men had to climb these; a 
stone wall was reached and passed three or 
four hundred yards before the regiment reached 
its final stand at the wall on the brow of the 
hill, immediately in front of and in full view 
of the village of Sharpsburgh, and on the pres- 
ent site of the monument' 

"At last the victory was ours; the regiment 
had been given a hard task to perform, but that 
duty was accomplished, confirming its history 
of Roanoke, when it made the first bayonet 
charge of the war, viz.: that it would conquer 
the enemy's position or die in its tracks. 

"Standing by the side of this monument, that 
dreadful scene that presented itself after the 
charge comes vividly to mind, from yonder 
Antietam Creek to the base of this monument 
the pathway is marked with the wounded, the 



538 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

dying and the dead ! We think of them as 
they left New York City, in 1861, bright, 
buoyant, youthful, hopeful, and we look now 
over the hills and the valleys and see the same 
boys — sons, whose mothers loved them as 
your mother loves you — mutilated, shattered, 
wounded, dead! I recall a few additional 
names of those that fell on this field : Turner, 
Rasiga, Hilderbrand, Bennett, Gunther, Shaffer, 
Alber, Watson, Beeker, Bessling, Rothers, 
Blazer, Hassan, McDermot, Smith, Dillman, 
Conway, Negus, Stites, Hopper, Burd, Flem- 
ing, the two Johnson brothers, Stephson, Chris- 
tain, Collins, and Shaw. Some of these are 
buried on this field. These are but a few of 
the names of those who fell on the spot occu- 
pied by this monument or on the slopes toward 
the Antietam. 

" This charge, although driving the enemy 
from their places, bathing the soil with blood 
and causing the regiment to loose over 65 per 
cent, of their number, does not tell the whole 
story, because it carried distress and agony into 
scores of homes from whence the members of 
this regiment had come; for we remember that 
there were fathers, mothers, wives, and sweet- 
hearts and little children who were left desol- 
ate in many New York homes, because of the 
events transpiring on this field in 1862. 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 539 

" The Union Army had won a great victory, 
and the enemy hastily retreated south of the 
Potomac ; but the price paid was too great for 
the triumphs won, when we consider what was 
clearly within our grasp. Had the charge led 
by this regiment been sustained by the troops 
in our rear, the mass of cannon and the right 
wing of the rebel army, and necessarily with it 
the center and left, would have been captured 
beyond question, for, although the enemy were 
reinforced by the energetic A. P. Hill, from 
Harper's Ferry, our forces were sufficient for 
the situation, had they been thrown forward 
and concentrated by General Cox, at this par- 
ticular point. It is only another instance that 
occurs so frequently in war, where a general 
has victory within his grasp and by neglect or 
lack of decision fails to reap the benefit of the 
same. At 4 p.m., on the afternoon of the 17th, 
the enemy in and around Sharpsburgh were 
panic stricken and were flying faster toward the 
Potomac river than any troops ran at the battle 
of Bull Run; their guns were deserted, and 
some of the Ninth New York placed their 
hands upon the guns the enemy had left in 
their mad flight ; indeed, some of the members 
of our regiment, forgetful of discipline, were so 
carried away with certainty of victory that they 
individually pursued the flying enemy on down 



840 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

through the streets of Sharpsburgh, and were 
finally recalled, not, however, until some of our 
number, like comrade Christian and John Byrd, 
fell, shot through the head, in the principal 
street of the village — victory was ours ! 

" General McClellan states in his report of 
the battle of Antietam : ' The Union Army 
captured 13 guns and 39 colors, more than 
15,000 stands of small arms, and more than 
6,000 prisoners were the trophies which attest 
the success of our arms.' 

" Had the charge on the left been sustained 
by the troops in our rear that day General 
Longstreet and General A. P. Hill would have 
been driven back overwhelmed, and the right 
wing of the rebel forces captured or destroyed. 

" General Hill, in his report of this battle 
states : ' My troops were not in a moment too 
soon ; the enemy had already advanced and 
broken through Jones' division, captured Mc- 
intosh's battery, and were in full tide of suc- 
cess. With a yell of defiance, Archer charged 
them, retook Mcintosh's guns and drove them 
back.' 

"The inactivity of our troops in different 
parts of the army seems inexplicable ; with the 
enemy panic-stricken, deserting their guns, a 
few of our men fighting to the death, without 
strength to take from the field the guns they 



ORATION Ob REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 541 

captured, with thousands of well armed men 
standing unemployed ; with the enemy, rein- 
forced by troops from Harper's Ferry, exhausted 
by the forced march, coming to bolster the 
defeated army of Lee. It is a mystery to this 
day unsolved, why the whole of the rebel army 
was not captured at the battle of Antietam. 

" There is but one way whereby the problem 
can be solved : It is that there is a Divine 
Providence ever ruling the affairs of men : that 
peace should not come to our land until the 
four millions of slaves held in bondage should 
be set free ; that the slave-driver's whip and the 
slave-master's shackles should no longer polute 
the air of America, but before peace could come 
to all the land, every human being, black or 
white, should be free to enjoy ' Life, liberty and 
the pursuit of happiness.' This is the only 
solution possible — why the army of General Lee 
was not captured at the battle of Antietam. 

" We must remember that God rules in the 
armies of Heaven and among the inhabitants 
of the earth ; and he beheld them, as we see 
now, that this country could not exist ' one-half 
slave and the other half free.' Up to the 17th 
of September, 1862, the war had been waged 
solely and absolutely for the preservation of the 
the Union. The question of emancipation of 
the slaves had been frequently urged upon the 



S42 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

President, and he was asked to issue a Pro- 
clamation of Emancipation as a war measure, 
to assist in weakening the enemy and strength- 
ening those fighting for the preservation of the 
Union. None can read the life of Abraham 
Lincoln and not feel his sympathy and convic- 
tions were on the side of emancipation, not only 
as a war measure, but because it was right, 
and that as God has created all men free, Lin- 
coln looked upon the perpetuation of slavery as 
a crime. Yet so complicated was the situation, 
he feared emancipation would seriously affect 
the continued loyalty of the border States and 
loyal men who were slave-holders. 

" Such was the condition in the summer 
of 1862, when a visitor to the White House, 
who went there to discuss this subject with the 
President, found Mr. Lincoln pacing the floor 
of his room. Mr. Lincoln took him by the 
hand, and said: 'On my knees, I have laid this 
matter before God. If He wants the slaves 
emancipated, I will do it. If, after the next 
great battle that shall be fought by the Army of 
the Potomac victory comes to us, I will know 
by that God desires not only the preservation 
of the Union, but the freedom of the slaves ; it 
is now in God's hands. I shall let the matter 
rest until after the next great battle.' 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 543 

"You all know how great and bloody that 
battle was, fought upon these very grounds, 
and how rapidly the troops coming from the 
scene of the martyrdom of John Brown, to rein- 
force Lee's army here were defeated and 
driven back, and after fourteen hours' continu- 
ous battle the enemy disappeared and hastily 
crossed to the south side of the Potomac River. 
It was God speaking to Abraham Lincoln — 
' The slave shall be free ! ' 

"Like Gideon of old, the test was made, and 
the answer comes from this bloody field of An- 
tietam. Lincoln is true to the compact, for as 
soon as positive news of the victory reached 
Washington, he at once prepared the Emanci- 
pation Proclamation, and shortly after issued 
the same, declaring, in the face of the world, 
that henceforth and forever slavery was abol- 
ished throughout the United States. 

" We obtain a better understanding of the 
situation after the lapse of these years, for had 
Gen. R. E. Lee's army been captured or com- 
pletely annihilated on this field, it would have 
resulted in a compromise with the States in 
rebellion whereby peace would have been 
declared and slavery continued ; but ' God 
moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to 
perform,' and the supineness of commanders, 
the inactivity of army corps, the blunder of 



544 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

generals, and the escape of Lee, finds answer, 
as we behold Abraham Lincoln on his knees 
before his God, asking not only for wisdom to 
save the Union, but to open the way whereby 
four millions of slaves may be made free. The 
revelations of history confirm the statement, 
permanent peace could not come until the 
power of the United States to enforce the 
Emancipation Proclamation should be mani- 
fested to the world on subsequent battlefields, 
extending from Antietam to Appomatox. 

" We were disappointed that the fruits of our 
great victory were not gathered here, but sub- 
sequent events proved that on Antietam battle- 
field we builded better than we knew, for the 
cardinal issues of the war that should give this 
country a permanent peace, were fixed and set- 
tled by the battle of Antietam. Here the 
question of slavery was forever settled, and our 
faithful army was to go hence to Gettysburg 
and Petersburgh, and crown the labor and toil 
of the years of contest by the surrender of Gen- 
eral Lee to General Grant at Appomatox. 

"And now, my comrades, this memorial 
work commemorating the heroism of our fallen 
comrades of the Ninth Regiment, New York 
Volunteers, is completed. Our duty is done. 
Here this monument will stand and tell to 
future generations how brave men fought, and 



ORATION OF REV. CLARK WRIGHT. 545 

how an American citizen, transformed into an 
American soldier, died, that the Republic might 
live, and the principles of liberty and union be 
perpetuated while the land of the free is the 
home of the brave. 

" You, my surviving comrades of our old 
reeiment, come here for the last time — here we 
bid a final good-bye to all that is mortal of 
those who found a grave on the field of glory. 
May their repose be peaceful as the flowers of 
springtime that bestrew their graves with their 
fragrance each recurring Decoration Day. We 
can never forget them, but will remember their 
fidelity, devotion and heroism ; and may it be 
ours, when the Supreme Commander of the 
Universe shall call our names to answer with 
alacrity and joy, ' Here ! ' so when the final 
report is made it will show all present at that 
grand reunion on the shores of a blessed im- 
mortality. 

"Until then, dear comrades of the Ninth 
New York Volunteers who found your sepul- 
chre on this field, farewell — farewell ! May the 
angels of God watch over your sacred dust. 

" The night of final separation has come ; the 
arms are stacked, the sword is sheathed ; night 
is spreading her mantle, but the stars of hope 
are brightly shining ; some in the camp are 
already sleeping, soon we will join them. 



546 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

" Solemnly, mournfully, 
Dealing its dole, 
The curfew bell 
Is beginning to toll. 
Cover the embers 
And put out the light ; 
Toil comes with the morning 
And rest with the night. 
Dark grow the tents 
And quenched is the fire ; 
Sound fades in silence, 
All footsteps retire; 
No voice in the camp, 
No challenge, no call. 
Listen, taps are sounding !" 

When the applause which followed the clos- 
ing of the oration had subsided the formality 
of completing the transfer of the monument 
and land to the representative of the Secretary 
of War was proceeded with, Colonel Hawkins 
introducing the comrade who was to perform 
that duty in the following words : 

" We have with us to-day another of the 
youngsters who, like the one previously pre- 
sented, had made up his mind to become a 
soldier, and accordingly enlisted in Company 
C. With gun, canteen, haversack and knap- 
sack, he went through his term of service, hav- 
ing well earned the rank of corporal in his 
company. 

"Not satisfied with having ended his honor- 
able term of service in the Ninth, he became an 
officer in another regiment and saw the end of 
the Rebellion as a captain in the 178th New 
York Volunteers. 

" I now take pleasure in presenting that 



TRANSFERRING THE TITLE. 547 

patriotic gentleman in the person of Captain 
Charles Curie, who will present the title-deed 
of our monument to General E. A. Carman, the 
representative of the United States, appointed 
to receive it. 

Captain Curie, in presenting the deed, said : 
" General E. A. Carman, United States Com- 
missioner in charge of Antietam Battlefield — 
The Act of the Legislature of the State of New 
York appropriating a portion of the money for 
the erection of this monument made the con- 
ditions following : 

' Upon the securing of the dedication of the 
ground upon which said monument shall rest 
to the memorial purpose for which said monu- 
ment shall be erected, with the rights of free 
access thereto by the public, subject neverthe- 
less, to proper rules and regulations for the 
preservation of said grounds and the monu- 
ment to be erected thereon, and the committee 
are directed to prescribe rules and regulations 
to govern the consideration and determination 
of the matters relating thereto.' 

" This Committee, authorized by the unani- 
mous vote of the Hawkins' Zouaves Associa- 
tion, decided that, inasmuch as the Government 
of the United States had made provision for 
the laying out of the battlefield of Antietam, 
and had already done so much for the preser- 
vation of the history of that battle by laying out 



548 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

roads and placing monuments and markers on 
the entire field, showing the positions of the 
contending forces, and also marking the places 
where the general officers fell, and providing for 
a care taker, that the monument would be best 
protected and preserved if placed in its custody 
and care, and the Committee having received 
intimation that the United States was willing to 
accept it for the purpose stated, I have been 
instructed and have now the pleasure to hand 
to you, and, through you to the United States 
of America, the deed for this monument and the 
land upon which it stands, with a right of way 
to it, for perpetual custody and care. 

"May it stand on fair Maryland's historic 
field a reminder to all the sister States that 
only within the family fold their true happiness 
lies, and no wrongs to be redressed, imaginary 
or real, can every justify bloodshed such as 
was witnessed on this battlefield, and that it is 
in unity and peace alone they are to abide 
forevermore." 

In accepting the monument on behalf of the 
United States, Gen. Ezra A. Carman, of the 
Antietam Battlefield Commission, who acted 
by authority and in behalf of the Secretary of 
War, said : 

"Survivors of the Hawkins' Zouaves: — By 
direction of the Secretary of War, I accept for 



GENERAL CARMAN'S REMARKS. 549 

the United States this imposing monument, 
erected by the State of New York to perpetu- 
ate and accentuate the history of one of her 
most heroic regiments, and especially to com- 
memorate its unfaltering devotion to duty on 
this field. 

" It gives me great pleasure to do this, for I 
recognize that of all the heroic organizations 
whose devotion to duty and country was tried 
on this unparalleled field of blood, none ex- 
ceeded yours in bravery exhibited, sacrifices 
made, and results achieved. 

"The 17th day of September, 1862, will long 
be remembered in the annals of American 
history. The bitter and bloody contest in the 
morning on the right, near Dunkard Church, 
brought no decisive result. Later in the day 
you crossed the Antietam by one of the lower 
fords, advanced over these hills a mile, under 
a most unerring and murderous fire of artil- 
lery, marking your path by scores of dead and 
wounded, reached this high ground, and in 
the face of a sheet of musketry dashed at and 
overthrew the right of Lee's army — Kemper's 
Virginia, and Drayton's South Carolina Brig- 
ades — the flower of the Southern Confederacy. 

"Through no fault of yours the fruits of 
your bravery were not gathered, and the van- 
tage ground so dearly paid for by the blood 



550 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

of your comrades was relinquished, but you 
can never relinquish the claim of duty well 
done, nor will history question it. 

" One of the most eloquent tributes paid to 
human valor was that of Sir Charles Napier, to 
an English officer, who fell while assaulting 
the enemy's work at Badajos, Spain, in 1812. 
He says: 'But Ridge fell, and no man died 
that night with more glory, yet many died, and 
there was much glory.' 

"What is here most beautifully and touch- 
ingly said of one man can be said of your 
comrades — none died with more glory, where 
many fell, and there was much glory. 

" In yonder beautiful cemetery, in ground 
hallowed by their silent forms, your comrades, 
who carried the crown of glory are taking 
their long rest. The Government whose liber- 
ties they did so much to preserve and integrity 
to perpetuate, watches their eternal sleep with 
tender care. As it cares for them, so will it 
care for this imposing shaft dedicated to their 
memory and to their and your valor. 

" So long as granite shall last, history will 
not fail to write nor tradition to repeat the 
story of the Hawkins' Zouaves on the field of 
the Antietam." 

Colonel Hawkins then said : 

" Among the brave and faithful of the regi- 



' ' ANTIE TAM. " 55 1 

ment no one was ever more respected than 
Sergeant Samuel L. Malcolm, who honestly 
earned his stripes in Company C. I now call 
upon him to give us, in his own impassioned 
way, the well known poem entitled 'Antietam !" : 
Sergeant Malcolm recites the following ex- 
tract from the poem : 

" To rest as those who bivouac still 
At Marathon and Bunker Hill. 
No more the pulse that beat so true 
Will quicken at the loved tattoo; 
Still hands unseen will hither bring 
The earliest flowers of the spring; 
For every clod we tread to-day 
Is moulded from some hero's clay. 
And looking downward from the skies, 
Perchance the melancholy eyes 
Of Lincoln wear a tender glow 
As on this scene he gazes now. 
O death! where is thy sting ? O grave ! 
Where is thy victory o'er the brave ? 
Not with dim sight and tottering frame 
They sought the dust from whence they came. 
With eye whose flash seemed of the storm, 
And war embodied in each form, 
They marched at glory's clarion call 
To graves as to a banquet hall. 
Through such heroic souls as those 
The Lord of Hosts his God-head shows; 
O'er them no mournful requiem floats, 
But bugles peal their loudest notes; 
As to the heaven of fame they march 
Beneath the flag — its rainbow arch ; 
With an eternal furlough blest, 
Sweet, sweet shall be the patriot's rest, 
As worn with toil whose fruits sublime 
Are budding on the bough of time. 
And while above these sainted brave 
One stripe of that old flag will wave, 
This consecrated spot will be 
A sacred Mecca of the free." 



552 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

The reading of the poem closed the dedica- 
ting ceremonies as arranged by the committee. 

Just as the comrades and their friends were 
beginning to disperse Colonel Hawkins again 
claimed their attention for, as he said, a few 
moments, while General Carman, who was 
already leaving the field, was intercepted and 
brought back to the foot of the monument by 
Major Horner with the remark: "One moment, 
General. We have a little private matter we 
wish to settle with you." 

General Carman submitted with a orood 
grace, but was very much astonished at the 
procedure. Colonel Hawkins then addressed 
the assemblage as follows : 

"The bringing to a successful conclusion 
the labor of erecting this monument was not 
accomplished without the usual accompanying 
vexatious incidents. And your committee had 
not proceeded very far with their under- 
taking before they discovered that outside 
assistance would have to be called to their 
aid. 

"What was needed most was a man on 
the spot — some one intelligent and efficient 
to assist in locating the site, which was the 
most important point we had to consider, 
and, besides, our dealings with the people 
here — the natives — were so varied, covered 



LOVING-CUP TO GENERAL CARMAN. 533 

such a multitude of details, that they called 
for most careful attention. The laying of a 
sufficiently solid foundation had to be looked 
after, as well as the moving and setting of 
the ponderous parts of the superstructure. 

"The man of all others for our purpose 
happened to be just where he was most 
needed, anxious and willing to serve. And 
without his kindly and interested assistance 
we might not have been here to-day to 
witness the completion of our work. 

" We found this efficient assistant in the per- 
son of Gen. E. A. Carman, the United States 
Antietam Battlefield Commissioner, employed 
by the Government to make a new battle-day 
map and to mark the most notable points of 
interest upon this historic field. 

"Acknowledging the value of his services, 
appreciating our obligations to him, and de- 
siring, in an insufficient way, to express our 
sentiments of gratitude, your committee pro- 
cured a memento which we are about to 
present to him as a token of our cordial 
good will and esteem, and I now ask him 
to step forward, so as to be seen by all, 
and to accept from our hands this loving- 
cup, which carries with it our good wishes 
for his health and happiness as well as all 
the gratitude we have to give." 



534 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

General Carman, although very much sur- 
prised, and, as was natural under the circum- 
stances, somewhat embarrassed, accepted the 
cup in a few well-chosen words, assuring 
the committee of his appreciation of the gift, 
which, although given for acts which he con- 
sidered labors of love, and which he was 
only too happy to have been able to per- 
form, still, that he would always prize the 
gift in remembrance of a pleasant duty and 
as a memento of the brief but cordial asso- 
ciation with the committee, and in pleasant 
remembrance of his meeting with the sur- 
vivors of a gallant regiment that had done 
so much to make Antietam's field historic. 

The company, separating into groups, en- 
joyed an interesting drive over the battle-field, 
visiting the National Cemetery, Burnside's 
Bridge, and many other points of interest, 
including the farmhouses where several of 
those present, who were wounded in the bat- 
tle, had been cared for, and after spending 
several hours in this manner were reassem- 
bled at the train and proceeded to Hagers- 
town for dinner. The return journey was re- 
sumed in the evening, and after a leisurely 
and enjoyable trip, all arrived safely at their 
destination without a single unpleasant inci- 
dent to mar the success of either the journey 
or the ceremonies. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

AFTER MUSTER-OUT — DESIRE OF THE MEN OF THE 
REGIMENT TO RETAIN THE FLAGS — MANNER IN 
WHICH THEY WERE CARED FOR — REASONS WHY 
THEY SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE STATE — 
CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE GOVERNOR — NAMES 
OF SURVIVORS WHO WERE PRESENT AT THE CERE- 
MONY — RECEPTION OF THE DELEGATION BY GOV- 
ERNOR ROOSEVELT — LIEUTENANT GRAHAM'S RE- 
MARKS—GOVERNOR ROOSEVELT'S REPLY — MAJOR 
DeBEVOISE'S SKETCH OF SERVICE — TAPS — THE 
END. 

AFTER the regiment had been mustered 
out of service all the government pro- 
perty of which it, as an organization, was pos- 
sessed, or for which any of the individual 
members were responsible, was either turned 
over to the custody of the various government 
officers, whose duty it was to take charge of it, 
or was properly accounted for to such officers, 
except the regimental colors. These, in re- 
sponse to the almost unanimous wish and de- 
sire of both officers and men, were retained 
as the property of the regiment and placed in 
the care of Colonel Hawkins. 

The ex-members of the regiment, both col- 
lectively and individually, felt that they had full 



656 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

proprietary rights in them, and these rights 
they wished to exercise. At that time, and for a 
number of years subsequent thereto, the State 
had not made any proper provision for the care 
and safety of such flags as had been or were 
being delivered to its representatives by the 
returning regiments. An old fire engine-house 
in Albany was at that time considered by the 
State officers good enough to serve as a final 
depository for these relics, which, during the 
years when serving as regimental standards, 
had been followed by the men of the various 
organizations through march and battle, storm 
and sunshine, summer's heat and winter's cold; 
which were to them the visible embodiment of 
their country, and of the cause in which they 
were engaged, and which were considered by 
them as almost too sacred to permit the rains 
of heaven to fall upon. 

When the survivors of the regiment formed 
the Hawkins' Zouaves Association, it was form- 
ally decided by that body that their flags which 
had waved over them in the hour of victory, 
and under the folds of which so many of their 
comrades had given up their lives, would, under 
the then existing conditions, be safer in their 
own custody than in that of the State. 

A place was provided for their safe-keeping 
from which they were never removed except 



WHY THEY WERE GIVEN UP. 357 

when taken out on occasions of extraordinary- 
importance and interest to the organization of 
survivors as a whole, as for instance, to ac- 
company the body of a deceased comrade of 
the regiment to its last resting place, where they 
were unfurled while " taps " were sounded over 
the grave. They were sacredly guarded and 
protected, as well as it was possible to do 
so, against deterioration and decay, but a time 
came, when owing either to the chemical action 
of the dye with which the silk was colored 
or to the destroying effects of time alone, the 
fiber of which they were composed became so 
weakened and frail that they were reduced to 
a condition when they could no longer be 
handled without injuring them; when they 
could not be unfurled, no matter how carefully 
that operation was performed, without great 
danger of their falling to pieces. 

In addition to this, the sad realization had 
been gradually forced into the minds of 
most of the survivors that year by year their 
number was so rapidly diminishing that in a 
comparatively short time none of them would 
be left to care for them. Time, the great 
destroyer as well as healer, had been busy 
in their ranks in the years since the muster- 
out. The Grim Reaper had made many calls 
during the thirty-six years which had passed 



558 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

since then, and who can deny him when 
these visits are made ? These considerations 
forced the comrades at last to take action, and 
inasmuch as a suitable and worthy place had 
finally been prepared at the Capitol for all the 
State flags, it was decided to deposit them 
there. 

By direction of the Executive Committee of 
the Association the Governor of the State 
was communicated with as follows: 

Headquarters Hawkins' Zouaves Association, 

No. 74 William Street, New York, April 17, 1899. 
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, 

Governor State of New York. 

Dear Sir:— The Battle Flags of the Ninth New York Volunteers 
(Hawkins' Zouaves) will be deposited in the Capitol at Albany on 
Thursday, the 20th inst. It has always been a matter of pride to the 
relatives and friends of the regiment, as well as to its surviving 
members, that if any comrade should be taken away the old colors 
would accompany his remains to his last resting place. But time and 
former service have made sad havoc with the material of which they 
are made, and they can now no longer be unfurled with safety. We 
are, therefore, about to deposit them in the place reserved for their 
perpetual care and protection. 

We deem it a special privilege to perform this patriotic duty 
during the term of your administration. You have shown your devo- 
tion to your country and its flag during the recent war with Spain, and 
we are sure you will be better able to appreciate our feelings in parting 
with our dear old colors. Should your public duties permit, it would 
afford the old veterans of the Ninth the greatest pleasure to have you 
present on this occasion with such members of your official staff as 
could be present to witness the ceremony. 

With the kindest regards and best wishes from all the comrades, 

I am, most respectfully yours, 

JAMES H. FOLAN, Secretary. 

Official, James R. Whiting, President. 

The Governor, with soldierly promptness, 
sent the following reply : 



THE SURVIVORS WHO WERE PRESENT 539 

State of New York, Executive Chamber, 

Albany, April 19, 1899. 
Mr. James H. Folan, Secretary. 

No. 74 William Street, New York. 
My Dear Sir: — I thank you most heartily for yours of the 17th inst. 
I deeply appreciate the gift. Of course I shall be present with all my 
staff that I can gather to take part in the ceremonies. 

Yours sincerely, 

THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 

The day chosen for the ceremony, the 20th 
of April, 1899, was the one following the 
anniversary day of the regiment and on 
which the annual reunions are held. This 
was to enable the out-of-town comrades, who 
were obliged to make some sacrifice of time 
to attend the reunion, to participate in the 
ceremonies of the flags before returning to 
their homes, thereby avoiding an additional 
journey for that purpose. 

The following named twenty-six members 
of the regiment left New York on the 8 : 30: 
a.m. train for Albany on that day, to par- 
ticipate in the last parade of their old colors 

Matthew J. Graham, V. M. C. Silva, Charles 
Curie, J. C. Julius Langbein, James B. Hor- 
ner, George W. Debevoise, James H. Folan, 
Daniel T. Van Duser, William H. Stevens, 
John T. Miller, William H. Rogers, George 
W. Rogers, Louis Layman, Thomas Farley, 
Frank Heckler, Thomas Flockton, John W. 
Jacobus, Samuel Tait, Thomas Stapleton, 
Frank Burke, Richard H. Jackson, George 



560 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

Loughlin, Peter J. L. Searing, Robert Brad- 
ley, George Teller and John Hassall. 

Upon arriving at the Capitol the detachment 
was met by an official messenger, who con- 
ducted them to the Executive Chamber where 
they were received by the Governor with 
Adjutant-General Andrews and others of 
his staff. Owing to the unavoidable ab- 
sence of the President of the Association, 
Captain James R. Whiting, the duty of form- 
ally turning over the flags to the State, de- 
volved upon Lieut. Matthew J. Graham, the 
Vice-President. By his directions Comrade 
Flockton, who had been chief-bugler of the 
Ninth, sounded " the assembly " on the same 
old bugle to the sound of which the survivors 
present had so many times responded during 
their term of service. At the " call " the Gov- 
ernor and staff placed themselves in front of 
the executive desk, the delegation of survivors 
forming a semi-circle, facing them with the 
flaes in the center. Lieutenant Graham made 
a brief address. He stated the purpose which 
brought them there and expressed the regrets 
which he and his comrades, both present and 
absent, felt that the time had at last arrived 
when they were to be finally and forever sep- 
arated from their old colors; but that regret, 
he said, was tempered and made less acute by 



GIVING UP THE FLAGS. THE SPEECHES. 561 

the knowledge, which was both gratifying and 
satisfactory, that they were being turned over 
to the custody of the State at a time when 
the Chief Executive was himself a soldier-com- 
rade who had also " bared his brow full in 
Death's face," while upholding his country's 
flag and carrying it forward to victory ; who 
could fully appreciate the feelings of soldiers 
who were, it might be said, attending the funeral 
of their flags ; that he and his comrades 
of the old regiment, while they resigned the 
custody of these relics reluctantly, still had the 
satisfying reflection that as they hung in their 
places in the chamber to which they were to be 
consigned, they would serve as an object lesson 
to the youth of the State who might gaze upon 
them, from which they might gather inspira- 
tions of patriotism and love of country which 
would — should the time ever come when their 
services were needed — cause them to emulate 
the deeds of the men who followed these flags 
on the battlefields of the Nation. 

The Governor in reply said he was more 
gratified than he could express to be permitted 
to receive these colors and to offer homage to 
the men who had upheld them so valiantly 
through the bloody period of the War of the 
Rebellion ; that while he had been a soldier it 
was in a "little war;" that he fully realized the 



562 NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS. 

difference between the so-called war in which 
the country had just been engaged and the 
tremendous struggle in which the men before 
him had participated ; that the greatest regret 
of his life had always been that he had not 
arrived at an age when he could have taken 
part in that struggle ; and that the height of 
his ambition would have been reached and 
his cup of satisfaction filled if fate had per- 
mitted him to earn the right to wear a Grand 
Army button and to call the other wearers 
thereof comrades. 

All this was said in his own intensely earnest 
manner, and in a way that was very gratifying 
to the men. 

Lieutenant Graham then introduced Major 
Debevoise, who in a feeling and impres- 
sive manner sketched the history of the regi- 
ment, recounting some of the scenes through 
which it and the old flags had passed, after 
which Flockton was called upon and sounded 
"taps," at which there were many suspiciously 
moist eyes, and the old colors were borne away. 

Governor Roosevelt then expressed a wish 
to be presented to each of the survivors present 
personally. This duty devolved upon Major 
Horner, who introduced each comrade, who 
received a cordial handshake and a few pleas- 
ant words from the Governor. This ended the 



THE LAST OFFICIAL ACT. S63 

ceremony, and after a short time spent in social 
converse with the Governor and the gentlemen 
of his staff, the delegation departed to return to 
New York. 

Thus ended the last official act of the regi- 
mental organization, as the recounting of the 
details thereof ends this history of the Ninth 
New York Volunteers. 

THE END. 




MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Colonel Rush C. Hawkins' 
9th Regiment, New York Volunteers (Infantry) 
called into service by the President on the 4th 
day of May 1861 for two years. Mustered out 
at New York, N. Y., by reason of expiration of 
term, on the 20th day of May, 1863. 

FIELD and STAFF. 

MUSTERED OUT WITH REGIMENT. 
COLONEL. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Hawkins, Rush C. 


29 


May 4, '61 


Colonel 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 



MAJOR. 



Jardine, Edward 



May4,'61 



Captain 



Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 
Promoted major Feb. 14, 1862. 



ADJUTANT. 



Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. ; pro- 
moted 1st lieutenant, April 20, 1862, ad- 
jutant Sept. 25, 1862. 



Bartholomew, 

Thomas I,, 



May4,'61 



2d Lieut. 
Co. B. 



QUARTERMASTER. 



Parisen, Otto W. 



35 Oct. 4, '62 Q'rniaster 



SURGEON. 



Humphreys, 

George H, 



■M 



May4,'61 



Surgeon 



ASSISTANT SURGEON. 



Harding, William L. 



34 



Aug. 20, '62 



Asst. 
Surgeon 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 

FIELD AND STAFF.— Continued. 

DISCHARGED. 

LIEUT. COLONEL. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. Rank. 


Remarks. 


Betts, George F. 


34 


May 4/61 Lt. Col. 


Resigned, Feb. 14, 1862. 



ADJUTANT. 



Evans, James W. 
Barnett, George A. C. 



May4,'61 



Adjutant 

1st Lieut. 
Co. B 



Resigned, Feb. 23, 1862. 

Appointed, adjutant June 18,1862; resigned, 
Sept. 24, 1862. 



QUARTERMASTER. 



Elliott, Henry W. 



May 4, '61 



Q'rmaster 



Resigned to enter regular army, Aug. 10, 
1862. 



CHAPLAIN. 



Conway, Thomas W. 



May4,'61 Chaplain Resigned Sept. 4, 1862. 



ASSISTANT SURGEONS. 



"White, Jabez P. P. 



May 16, - 61 



Asst 
Surgeon 



Promoted surgeon 10th New York Infantry 
i May 13, 1862. 



DIED. 

LIEUT. COLONEL. 



Kimball, Edgar A. 



38 



May4,'61 



Major 



Promoted lieutenant-colonel, Feb. 14, 1862; 
killed at Suffolk, Va., April 12, 1863. 



ADJUTANT. 



Gadsden, Charles A. 30 Mch, 22, '62 Adjutant Killed in action at Camden, N. C 



Buck, Ephraim W. 



NO RECORD. 

ASSISTANT SURGEON. 



36 



June 10,'64 



Asst. 
Surgeon 



Colonel Hawkins declined to assign him to 
duty ; no further record. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



569 



NON-COMMISSIONED STAFF. 

Mustered out with Regiment. 

s ergeant-major. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. Rank. 


Remarks. 


Dusenberry, 

Augustus 


24 


May 12/61 


Private 
Co. C 


Promoted corporal June 1, 1861 ; sergeant* 
Sept. 1, 1861 ; sergeant-ma.ior. May 1, 1862; 
taken prisoner at. Antietam ; paroled ; 
reported to Camp Parde, Md.; exchanged; 
returned to regiment Nov. 1862. 



QUARTERMASTER-SERGEANT. 



Pannes, John B. 



23 



May 4,'61 



Private 
Co. A. 



Promoted corporal, date not stated; ser- 
geant, Oct. 14. 1861 ; quarter-master-ser- 
geant, March 20, 1862 ; wounded in action 
at Antietam. 



COMMISSARY-SERGEANT. 



Knowlson, Charles F. 24 May 4, '61 Private Promoted sergeant, Aug. 19, 1861 ; commis' 

Co. A sary-sergeant, Jan. 1, 1862. 



HOSPITAL STEWARD. 



Grobecker, William 



June 1, '61 



Private 
Co. A. 



Promoted hospital steward, Nov. 4, 1861. 



S70 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
REGIMENTAL BAND. 



DRUM MAJOR. 



Name. 


Age. 


mcstered, 
When. | Rank. 


Remarks. 


Smith. Charles T. 




May 4, '61 Drum Maj . 


Discharged, May 26, 1861, as incompetent. 



BAND LEADERS. 



Strachan, James C. 
Wallace William V. 



Aug 30," 61 
June 15, '62 



Band 
Master 



Musterd out at Washington, D. C, May 21 

1862. 
Discharged by Act of Congress, 1862. 



MUSICIA1NS. 



Barnes, Cornelius 
Bernhardt, Carl 
Conway, Martin 

Ellison, William J. 
Flocton, John M. 
Gier, Friedrich 
Haines, Thomas 
Hoftmaim, Ludwig A. 

Holland, George 
Hughes, William H. 

Keefe, William 
Lent, Harlan E. 
Eent, Henry D. 
Marvell, Henry 
Mentz, Charles 

Middleton, George 
Miles, John T. 
Miller, Jacoh 
Moss, John R. 

Rodgers, Samuel D. 

Shaw, Orin W. 

Seaton, Daniel 

Simpkins, 

Cornelius V. 
Steele, Henry 



46 
25 

22 
35 
28 
19 
26 

30 
24 

31 
26 
42 
30 
29 

21 
25 

42 

34 
27 

21 
26 
35 



Aug. 1, '62 
Sept. 3, '61 
Aug, 30, '61 

" 30, '61 

" 1, '62 

" 30, '61 

Sept, 15, '62 

Mch. 18, '62 

Aug. 30, '61 
May 4, '61 



Musician 



Private 



Aug. 30, '61 Musician 
30,' 61! " 

30, '61 
1, '62 

Mch. 12, '62 

Aug. 30, '61 

May 4, '61 Private 
Co. B. 
Aug. 1, '61 j Musician 

" 30, '61 ! 

" 30, '61 
Oct. 3. '62 I 
Aug. 30, '61 
Sept 3, '61 
Aug. 30, '61 



Discharged, Dec. 17, 1862 at Falmouth, Va, 
Discharged, Oct. 11, 1862. 

Taken prisoner at Camden, N.C. ; mustered 
out. as paroled prisoner, May 1, 1862, at 
Washington, D. C. 

Discharged, Oct. 11, 1862, at Pleasant Val- 
ley, Md. 

Discharged, Nov. 1, 1862, at Wheatland, Va. 

Discharged, Oct. 13, 1862, at Pleasant Val- 
ley. Md. 
Discharged, Dec. 17, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 

Enlisted in 103d New York Infantry; trans- 
ferred to 9th New York, Aug. 11, 1862; dis- 
charged Dec 17, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 

Discharged, Aug 16, 1862, at Fredericks- 
burg, Va 

Transferred to band, Sept. 24, 1861; dis- 
charged at Falmouth, Sta., Va., Aug. 22, 
1862. 

Discharged, Feb. 28, 1862, at Roanoke 
Island. 

Discharged.Aug. 16, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 

Discharged, Feb. 28, 1862, 

Discharged, Feb. 17, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 

Enlisted in the 103d N.Y.V.; transferred to 
tins regiment; discharged, Nov. 17,1862, 
at Warrenton Sta., Va. 

Discharged, Oct. 13, 1862. 

Transferred to band, Oct. 1,1861 ; discharged, 

Aug. 16, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 
Discharged, no date given. 

Captured at Camden, N. C. ; mustered out 
as paroled prisoner, at Washington, D.C., 
May 21, 1862. 

Discharged, Oct, 13, 1862, at Pleasant Val- 
ley, Md. 

Discharged, Nov. 17, 1862, at Warrenton 
Sta., Va 

Discharged, Oct. 11, 1862. 

Discharged, Oct. 11, 1862, at Pleasant Val- 

lev, Md. 
Discharged, Aug. 25, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



571 



MUSICIANS.— Continued. 





Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 




When. 


Rank. 


Tonge, Daniel 


19 


Oct. 3, '62 


Musician 


Discharged, Dec. 17, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 


Uphous, Peter 


42 


Aug. 1, '62 




Discharged, Dec. 17, 1862, at Falmouth, "Va. 


Vives, John 


38 


" 20, '62 




Discharged, Dec. 17, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 


Wilbur, Charles 


19 


Sept. 3, '61 




Discharged, Aug. 23, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 


Wittchell. 

Christopher 
Worley, Henry 


38 
21 


Nov. 21, '61 
Sept. 15, '62 




Transferred from 103d N.Y.V., Aug. 11, 1862; 

discharged, Dec. 17, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. 

Discharged, Nov. 1, 186J, at Wheatland, Va. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Capt. Andrew S. Graham's Company A, 

9TH Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

Mustered out with the company on the 20th day of May, 1863. 



CAPTAIN. 



Name. 



Age. 



Mustered. 



Whe.v. 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



Graham, Andrew S. 



May 4, '61 



Captain 



Wounded in action, at Camden, N. C. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Horner, James B. 



May 4, '61 



1st Sergeant 
Co. D. 



Promoted 2nd lieutenant Company B, April 
20, 1862; transferred to Company D, Nov. 
22, 1862; promoted 1st lieutenant, Jan. 30, 
1863; transferred to this company, March 
17, 1863. 



2d LIEUTENANT. 



Jackson, Richard H. 



May 4, '61 



1st Sergeant 
Co. I. 



Promoted 2nd lieutenant Company D, Oct. 
29, 1862; transferred to Company H, Nov. 
23, 1862; and to thiscompanv, March 26, 
1863. 



1st SERGEANT. 



Forbes, Oliver P. 



25 



May 4,. '61 



Private 



Promoted sergeant, date not stated; 1st 
sergeant, May 25, 1862 ; wounded in 
action at An tietam; absent in hospital; 
(died of wound, May 31, 1863.) 



SERGEANTS. 



Allen, James W. 
Gould, John D. 
Hardley, Frank 
Stewart, Joseph I. 



Mayl4,'6l 
4, 



Private 



Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1862; sergeant, 

Sept. 30, 1862. 
Promoted corporal, Aug. 19, 1861 ; sergeant, 

Oct. 14, 1861. 
Promoted corporal, Oct. 14, 1861; sergeant, 

May 25, 1862. 
Promoted sergeant, April 11, 1863. 



CORPORALS. 



Bentley, Thomas 


21 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, May 1, 1862. 




Miller, Jacob 


27 


" 


" 


Promoted corporal, Aug. 19, 1861. 




Drejfuss, Gnstav 


24 


it .. 


" 


Promoted corporal, Sept. 30, 1862. 




Stevens, John J. 


20 


*i <« 


" 


Wounded in action, at Antietam ; 
moted corporal, Sept. 30, 1862. 


pro- 



MUSICIANS. 



Horn, Joseph 
Holwell, James A. 



May 4, "61 



Bugler 
Drummer 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



573 



Company A.— Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 
PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Age. 



Mustered. 



when. 



Rank. 



Abbott, Theodore 

Betts, Theodore 

Brill, Jacob C. 

Brill, Augustus J. 

Dolan, James 

Drew, Peter L. 

Eldredge, George W 

Hyde, Robert R. 

Jacobus, John W. 

Kelly, James 

Kress, Severin, 

L.e Roy, Moses, 

Lyon, Charles 

McConnell, James 

Mergan thaler, 

Frank C. 
Morse, Charles W, 

Muskulus, John 

Newcomb, George E, 

Parker, George 

Roberts, Ephraim B, 

Schweizer, 

Herman C. 
Sherman, Birdsey I>. 

Smith William M. 

Snow, Frederick S. 

Snow, George H. 

Stage, Joseph 

Stevens, "William H. 

Thompson, Andrew 

Thompson, John 

Vanderburgh, 

Richard 
Volk, William H. 



19 
19 
19 
22 
19 
19 
23 
22 
18 
20 
20 
18 
21 
21 
19 

20 
19 
28 
23 
22 
18 
18 
18 
18 
22 
19 
24 
23 
28 
21 



May 4, '61 



Aug. 12, '61 
May 4, '61 



Private 



Jan. 7, '62 
May 4, '61 



Drummer 
Private 



Remarks. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Captured at Fredericksburg, Va.; paroled- 
reported at Camp Parole, Md ,May 5 1863. 

Honorable mention by Spec. Old., Reg. Hd. 
Qrs. 



Wounded in action at Camden, N. C, and 
at Antietam, Md. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Wounded in action at Roanoke Island. 
Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Debevoise, GeorgeW. 



DISCHARGED. 

LIEUTENANT. 



May 4, '61 



Sergeant 



Promoted 1st sergeant, June 25, 1861; 2nd 
lieutenant, Nov 28, 1861; wounded in 
action at Roanoke Island, N. C.; pro- 
moted 1st lieutenant, not mustered; dis- 
charged Aug 23, 1872, by resignation. 



S74 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



DISCHARGED.— Company A.— Continued. 



SERGEANTS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Nicholls, James 
Felclman, Christian 
Salisbury, Albion V. 


10 
20 
25 


May 4, '61 
Aug. 22, '61 


1st Sergeant 
Sergeant 
Private 


Reduced to the ranks; promoted sergeant, 
date not stated; discharged for disability, 
Aug-. 19. 18H1. 

Discharged for disability, Aug. 19, 1861. 

Promoted corporal, March, 1M62; sergeant, 
date not stated; wounded in action at 
Antietam; discharged for disability, 
April, 11, 1863. 



CORPORAL. 



Van Duzer, Daniel T. 



Aug. 23, '61 



I Promoted corporal, date not stated ; 
Private wounded in action at Antietam; rlis- 
I charged for disability, April 7, 1863. 



PRIVATES. 



Areson, Stephen M. 
Bom in er, Peter 
Braitinayer, Otto 
Brazier, William S. 
Clarke Samuel J. 
Cooper, William S. 
Cutter, John 
Dickenson, Chas. W. 
Dickman, Thomas 
Donovan, Jeremiah 

Drake, William H. 
Edwards, Joseph 
Eldridge, John H. 
Freeman, James C. 
Haiselden, George 
Hopkins, Edward 
Hume. Huthwaite 
Jones, Charles E. 
Leach, Daniel W. 
Madden, James 
May, Marcus 
McMamis, John 
Redfield, James H. 
Relyea, Alexander E, 
Rivers, Richard 
Roberts, George W. 



24 

29 
19 

■j -j 

30 
19 
18 
21 
19 
23 

19 
20 
25 
25 

19 
18 
21 
19 
18 
21 
24 
23 
18 
24 
19 



Aug. 30, '62 
May 4, '61 



Aug. 5, '61 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 7, '61 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 14, '62 
May 4, '61 



Aug. 22, '61 
May 27, - 61 
May 4, '61 

July 21, '61 
July 30, '61 
Aug. 6, '61 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 13, '62 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 20. '61 
" 16, '61 
May 4, '61 



Private 
Co. D. 
Private 



Private 

Co. I. 

Musician 

Private 



Transferred to this company, Oct. 25,1862; 

discharged for disability, Dec. 31, 1862. 
Discharged for disability, Aug. 19, 1861. 

Discharged for disability, Aug. 20, 1861 . 

Discharged for disability, Aug. 20, 1861. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, Jan. 10, 1863. 
Discharged for disability, Aug. 20, 1861. 

Discharged for disability, at Washington, 

D. C, Jan. 23, 1863. 
Discharged for disability, Aug. 20, 1861. 

Wounded in action at Antietam ; dis- 
charged for disability, April 21, 1868. 

Wounded in action at Roanoke Island, X, 
('.; discharged for disability, April 22. 

18(32. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, Dec. 5, 1862. 
Discharged for disability, Aug 19, 1861. 

Discharged for disability, Aug. 20, 1861. 

Wounded at Antietam; foot amputated; 

discharged for disability, Dec. 30, 18i.2 
Transferred to this company, Aug. 20, 1861, 

discharged for disability, May 2, 1863. 
Discharged for disability. at Riker's Island, 

May 18, 1861. 
Discharged for disability, Aug. 26, 1861. 

Discharged for disability, at Roanoke Is- 
land, May 25, 1862. 

Wounded in action at Antietam ; dis- 
charged for disability, Feb. 18, 1863. 

Discharged for disability, Dec. 12, 1862, at 
Fredericksburg, Va. 

Wounded at Antietam; leg amputated ; 
discharged for disability, Jan. 16, 1863 

Wounded at Antietam; discharged for dis- 
ability. March, 27, 1863. 

Discharged for disability, Aug. 19, 1861. 

Wounded in action at Antietam ; dis- 
charged for disability, Oct. 22, 1862. 
Discharged for disability, March 21, 1863. 

Discharged April 23, 1863 ; at Providence, 
R. I 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



575 



DISCHARGED.— Company A.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Knff, George W. 


26 


Aug. 23. '61 


» 


Discharged, date not stated. 


Schumacher, Gustav 


27 


May 4, '61 


" 


Discharged for disability, Nov. 30, 1862. 


Sickles, Benjamin T. 


18 


" " 


" 


Discharged for disability, June 6, 1861. 


Spreemvenburg, 


19 


i. .. 


" 


Discharged for disability, Aug. 20, 1861. 


Stage, David E. 
Williams, John N. 


24 
21 


May 26, '61 


» 


Wounded in action at Antietam ; dis- 
charged for disability. Dec. 15, 1862. 
Discharged for disability, Jan. 10, 1863. 



TRANSFERRED 

To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 

CORPORALS. 



Bullinger, Charles E. 


20 


Aug. 24, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, April 8, 1863. 


Fitzgerald, James E. 


2^ 


" 20, '61 


" 


Promoted corporal, Sept. 30, 1862. 


Rotche, Robert A. 


19 


" 21, '61 


u 


Promoted corporal, April 11, 1863. 



PKIVATES. 



Acker, Burlin M. 


20 


Aug. 21,' 61 


Private 


• 


Adrian, Robert J. 


27 


" 15, '62 


■» 




Appleby, William 


19 


" 13, '62 


" 




Barker, James E. 
Bates, William H. 


22 

22 


Oct. 6, '62 
Aug. 29, '61 


Private 
Co. D. 
Private 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862. 


Boness, John N. 


24 


Sept. 3, '01 


" 




Boness, William 


27 


" 


» 




Davis, William 


23 


Oct. 1, '61 


" 




Dixon, George 


30 


Aug. 10, '61 


" 




Dobbs, Andrew B. 


19 


" 19, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Doughty, Zeblon, 


24 


" 27, '62 


" 




Fitzgerald, 

Michael E. 
Foster, George A. 


25 
24 


" 12, '61 
" 26, '61 


., 




Galvin, John 


27 


" 20, '62 


" 




Gil ley, John 


25 


" 20, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Harvey, John S. 


22 


Oct. 6, '62 


Private 
Co D 


Transferred to this company, Oct 25, 1862. 


Henry, Euther 


19 


Aug. 5, '61 


Private 




Heron, John 


25 


" 17, '61 


» 




Jones, Humphrey D. 


20 


" 27, '62 


" 


Transferred to Morris' Battery, May 3, '63. 



576 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



TRANSFERRED.— Company A.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 







Mustered. 






Name. 


Age. 


When. 


Rank. 


Remarks. 




Jordan, Stephen E. 


18 


Aug. 27, '62 


Private 






Kalliar, James 


28 


" 13, '62 


" 






Mott, John W. 


25 


" 5, '61 


" 






Mullen, Henry 


24 


Sept. 3, '61 


" 






O'Brien, John 


24 


Aug. 23, '61 


Private 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 2( 


, 1862: 








Co. I. 


transferred to Morris' Battery, Maj 


3, 1863. 


Ramsey, George 


22 


Sept. 1, '62 


Private 






Seguine, Joseph G. 


21 


Aug. 26,' 62 


" 






Skiclmore, Eugene H. 


19 


July 27, '61 


" 






Sniften, 


19 


" 30, '61 


" 






Movtimore M. 












Stinson, Williani 


29 


Aug. 20. '62 


Private 


Wounded in action at Antietam ; 
ferred to Morris' Battery, May 3, 


trans- 

1863; 


Vandervoort, 


30 


" 15, '61 


*' 


Wounded inaction at Antietam. 




Richard 












Vervalen, 


19 


" 13, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam . 




Abraham D. 












Vincilette, Edward 


29 


" 23, '61 









DIED. 

SERGEANT. 



Watson, James H. 



23 Sept. 2, '61 



Private 



Promoted corporal, Oct 14, 1861 ; sergeant, 
Jan. 9, 1862; killed in action at Antietam. 



CORPORALS. 



Cameron, Robert H. 


23 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 14, 1861; died of 
disease, Nov. 30, 1861. 


Van Cott, David 


25 


" 4, '61 




Promoted corporal, Aug. 19, 1861; died of 
wound received in action at Antietam, 
Sept. 29, 1862 



PRIVATES. 



Banta, AYilliam H. 

Bennett, Charles 

Eavers, James 

Hildebrant, Geo. H. 

Ott, Jacob 

Stephens, John G. 

Turner Joseph G. 

Voorhees, 

Jeremiah F. 
Walter, Charles H. 



May 4, 


61 


Aug. 23, 


'62 


" 13, 


'61 


July 22, 


'62 


May 26, 


'61 


Aug. 15, 


'62 


June 20, 


'61 


May 4, 


61 


" 4, 


'61 



Private 
Co. F. 
Private 



Transferred to this company, June 1, 1861 ; 

killed in action at Camden, N. C. 
Killed in action at Antietam. 

Died at Camp Wool, Hatteras Inlet. 

Killed in action at Antietam. 

Died at Camp Wool, Hatteras Inlet. 

Killed in action at Antietam. 

Killed in action at Antietam . 

Wounded in action at Camden, N. C; died 
while at home on furlough. 

Died of wound received in action at Cam- 
den, N. C. 



:\rr ster-out roll. 



sn 



Company A. — Continued. 
DESERTED. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. Rank. 


Remarks. 


Alpers, Henry W. 

Dodson, William 

Rogers, George L.. 

Whitmore. 

Thomas F. 


33 

28 
19 


May 4, '61 
'« 4, '61 
" 4, '61 
" 4, '61 


Corporal 
Private 


Transferred from Company C.Sept. 15, 1861 ; 

deserted, Aug. 20, 1862 
Deserted at Ricker's Island, May 20, 1861. 

Deserted at Ricker's Island, May 30, 1861. 

Deserted at New York City, June 5, 1861. 



NOT PRESENT. 



Duell, James 
Topping, Robert R. 



30 Aug. 26, '62 
18 May 4, '61 



Private 



Taken prisoner at Antietam; paroled and 

exchanged, no further record. 
Taken prisoner at Antietam ; paroled and 

exchanged, no further record. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Capt. William G. Barnett's Company B. 

9TH Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

Mustered out with the company, on the 20th day of May, 1863. 

CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. Rank. 


Remarks. 


Barnett, William G. 


34 


May 4, "61 


Captain 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Herbert, George H. 25 j May 4, '61 1st Sergeant Promoted 2d lieutenant, Dec. 23d, 1861; 

1st lieutenant. Nov. 14, 1862. 



3d LIEUTENANT. 



Hews, Edwin 



22 May 4. '61 



Sergeant 



Promoted 1st sergeant, Dec. 23, 1861; 
wounded in action at Antietam; pro- 
moted 2d lieutenant, Sept. 30th, 1862. 



SERGEANTS. 



Rogers, William J. 
Smith, Edgar A. 


19 
24 


May 4, '61 


Private 
Sergeant 


Promoted corporal, May 1, 1862; wounded 
in action at Antietam; promoted ser- 
geant, Jan. 1, 1863. 


Miller, John T. 


25 


" 


" 




Murray, George 


22 


" 


Corporal 


Promoted sergeant, Jan. 1, 1862. 



CORPORALS. 



Boltz, Michael 


19 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 1, 1862. 


Molloy, Albeit W. 


21 


» 


■' 


Promoted corporal, Nov. 15, 1862. 


Rassiga, Augustus 
Roeder, Charles R. 
Webman, Clemens 


19 
19 

29 


Aug. 26, '61 
May 4, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. ; pro- 
moted corporal Oct. 1, 1862. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; promoted 
corporal, Jan. 1, 1863. 

Piomoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1863 



MUSICIANS. 



Avey, Timothy 
Langbein, 



J. C. Julius 



Jan. 5, '62 I Musician Transferred from 103d New York, Jan. 15, 

1863. 
May 4, '61 Drummer Received medal of honor for gallantry at 

Camden, N, C. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 

Company B— Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 
PRIVATES. 



579 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. | Rank. 


Adair, John B. 


30 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Andeson, JVIott 


19 


" 


" 


Atkinson, Thomas 


19 


" 




Burgh, Adolph 


22 






Carpenter,Ed ward E. 


20 






Degenian, David D. 


18 


i. 




Ditterlen, Eonis 


18 




" 


Dorber, George 


20 


• 


•' 


Dysert, John W. 


24 


i. 


" 


Enever, Hugh 


23 


" 


" 


Fisher, Thomas 


20 


■ 


" 


Godfrey, Edward 


22 


" 




Good, Michael 


20 


'• 


" 


Grant, Richard 


22 


" " 


•' 


Greer, George W. 


18 


" 


i. 


Hampson, John H. 


19 


'■ 


" 


Haring, David C. 


20 


Aug. 5, '61 


' 


Harris, Spencer E. 




May 30, '61 




Hyatt, James H. 


21 


May 4, '61 


" 


Johnson, John F. 


22 


» 


" 


Low, James 


22 


'• 




Malcoin, Joseph 


19 


" 




Michell, Francis D. 


19 




" 


Neil, James 


19 


" 0, 'CI 


" 


Newell, Garry T. 




" 4 '61 


" 


Osborne, Samuel 


20 


" 


" 


Parker, George 


18 


.. .. 


•• 


Parker, James 


19 




'• 


Pfaffle, Frederic 


20 


" 


" 


Porter, Albert E. 


18 


., 


" 


Reed, Thomas 


31 


i. 


" 


Roberts, John H. 


20 


i. 




See, John 


19 


« 


>i 


Spooner, Arthur 


26 


" " 


Stanton, Michael 


19 




Thomas, Albert 


24 




" 



Remarks. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Wounded in action at Antietam. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 
Mustered out to date August 5, 1863. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Discharged for disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at 
Newport News, Va.; re-enlisted Jan. 21, 
1862; wounded in action at Antietam. 



Wounded in action at Antietam, 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 

Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Wounded in action at Roanoke Island, 
N. C. 



S80 ML r STER-Ol T ROLL. 

Company B. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered, 




When. 


Rank. 




Wagner, Peter 


19 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Wettlaufer, John 


18 


" 


" 




Whitney, Isaac 


23 


" " 


" 





TRANSFERRED 
To 3D Rkgiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 



1st SERGEANT. 



Schmidt, Hugo 


34 


Aug. 15, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1862; sergeant, 
May 1, 1862; 1st sergeant, Nov. 24, 1862. 


SERGEANT. 


Cornell, George D. 


28 


Aug. 16, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 11, 1861; sergeant. 
Nov. 24, 1862; transferred to non-commis- 
sioned staff. 


CORPORALS. 



Bailey, William H. 
Farrell, George W. 
Parker, Smith S. 



Aug. 10, '61 

" 12, '61 

July 1, '61 



Private 



Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1863; wounded 

in action at Antietam. 
Promoted corporal, May 1, 1862; wounded 

in action at Antietam, 
Promoted corporal, April 11, 1862. 



PRIVATES. 



Brill, John N. 


23 


Sept. 22, '62 


Private 




Cairns, John A. 


19 


" 26, '62 


" 




Collins. John M. 




June 2, '61 


" 




Creech, John 


21 


Sept. 27, '62 


" 




Boyle, John J. 


21 


Aug. 16, '61 


" 




Folan, James H. 


21 


June 2, '61 


" 




Hamilton, Joseph 


19 


Aug. 17, '61 


" 




Hines, Williani 
Howard, George 
Hogan, John J. 
Hubhell, Silliman J. 


20 
21 
19 


June 2, '61 

Sept. 2, '61 

Aug. 22, '62 

" 12, "61 


Private 
Co. I. 
Private 


Wounded by accident at Newport News, 
Va. 

Sentenced by general court martial to con- 
finement in Rip Raps. 

Transferred to this company, Oct. 26, 1862. 

Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Johnson, Robert 


21 


" 16, '61 


" 


To Company B, 15th Michigan Infantry. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
TRANSFERRED.— Company B.— Continued. 



581 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 




Kane, Michael 


20 


Sept. 27, '62 


Private 




Knowles, John W. 


29 


" 24, '62 


" 




McCarty, Alexander 


19 


" 26, '62 


" 




Moran, James E. 
Pfaffle, William 


21 
21 


" 12, '62 
Aug. 27, '61 


Private 
Co. I. 

Private 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 26, 1862 ; 

wounded in action at Fredericksburg 

Va. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Rogers, George W. 


18 


Sept 23, '62 


" 




Schlecht, Charles 


19 


" 26, '62 


" 




Schoonmaker, 


34 


Aug. 15, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 


Andrew 










Simpson, William H. 


18 


" 20, '61 


" 




Smith, John 


34 


" 22, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam . 


Travis, William W. 


18 


'• 19, '61 


" 




Wightman, 

Edward K. 


27 


" 30, '62 




1 



DISCHARGED. 



Whitney, John H. E, 



May 4, '61 



SERGEANT. 



Corporal 



Promoted sergeant; date not stated; 
wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, June 4, 1863. 



MUSICIAN. 



McClelland, Michael 16 May 4, '61 Musician May 20, 1861, for disability 



PRIVATES. 



Bogart, John A. 

Buckmaster, 

Robert M. 
Cordnan, Morgan 

Cortelyou, 

William H. 
Eagleson, William 

French, Banjamin H. 

Haggett, Samuel 

Jones A. H. 

Madden, Martin 



May 


4, 


61 


Aug. 


10, 


'61 


May 


4, 


'61 


" 


30, 


'61 


" 


4, 


'61 



Corporal 
Private 



Aug. 31, 1862, by promotion to lieutenant- 
colonel 127th New York Infantry. 

May 2, 1363, for disability, at Ladies' Home 
Hospital, New York. 

Aug. 20, 1861, for disability. 

Wounded in action and captured at Cam- 
den, N. C; leg amputated; discharged 
for disability, May 20, 1863. 

May 20, 1861, for disability. 

Nov. 29. 1862, for disability, at Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

Aug. 21, 1861, for disability, at Newport 
News, Va. 

Jan. 20, 1863, at Newark, N. J., for disa- 
bility. 

Nov. 18, 1861, at Hatteras, for disability. 



Ml STER-OVT ROLF.. 



DISCHARGED.— Company B.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Messinger, Peter A. 
Miller, Charles R. 

Morgan, Albert 
Palmer, Thomas A. 

Eowe, Henry 
Rynes, James 
Sampson, John A. 
Sill, Byron G. 

Smith, William H. 

Valliere, Michael 
Winchell, George VV. 


19 
22 

19 
22 

20 
18 
19 
19 

21 

22 


May 4, '61 

Sept. 13, '62 
Aug-. 9. '61 

May 4, '61 

Aug. 6, '61 

" 10, '61 

May 4, '61 

Aug. 2, '61 

July 31, '61 
June 2, '61 


Private 


Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport News, Va., for 
disability. 

Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. ; dis- 
charged. Jan. 8, 1863, at Falmouth, Va., 
for disability. 

Jan. 5, 1863, at Falmouth, Va., for disa- 
bility. 

Wounded in action at Roanoke Island, 
N. C ; discharged Jan. 3, 1863, at Wash- 
ington, D. C, for disability. 

Aug. 30, 1862, for disability. 

June 9, 1862, for disability. 
June 9, 1862, for disability. 

Captured at Antietam; confined at Rich- 
mond; paroled; discharged as paroled 
prisoner, Nov. 3, 1862. 

Dishonorably discharged by sentence of 
general court martial, June 16, 1862 — 
(Drummed out). 

For disability, March 22, 1862, at Roanoke 
Island, N. C. 

For disability, July 3, 1861, at Newport 
News. 



DESERTED. 

PRIVATES. 



Allen, Montague 


24 


May 4, '61 


Private 


April 15, 1862, at General Hospital, Fortress 

Monroe, Va. 
Nov. 22, 1862. 


Barry, David 




Oct. 4, '62 


•' 


Bright, Henry 
Conroy, John 


23 
20 


May 4, '61 


>< 


March 1, 1863, at general hospital, Fortress, 

Monroe, Va 
May 25, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 


Jones, Robert 


22 


» 


" 


May 10, 1861, at New York City. 


O'Connor, Michael 

Parker, Joseph S. 
Wadwaurs, Boyd A. 


21 

18 

28 


Aug. 5, '61 
May 4, '61 


» 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. ; de- 
serted from hospital at Washington, 
D. C. ; date not stated . 

From hospital at Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 8, 
1862. 

May 30, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 



DIED. 

PRIVATES. 



Cortez, John A. 


21 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


Ginther, William 


32 


Aug. 17, "61 


" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


Hutchinson, Harold 


22 


May 4, '61 


" 


Killed in action at Camden, N. C. 


Lindtner, Mathias 


19 


" " 


" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 



M i S TER-O I 'T R OL L . 



883 



DIED.— Company B.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


AGE. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Moser, William S. 


19 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Died of wounds received at Antietam. 


Rassiga, Kugene 


18 


" 


" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


Roseberry, 

Thomas H. 
Schaeft'er, John 


18 
22 


Aug. 5, '61 

" 17, '61 


« 


Died of disease, Dec. 16, 1862, at Falmouth, 

Va. 
Killed in action at Antietam. 


Spicer, Napoleon B. 


21 


May 2, '61 


" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 



MISSING IN ACTION. 



PRIVATE. 



Hewett, Elias 



18 



July 31, '61 



Private At Antietam; no further record. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Capt. Victor Klingsoehr's Company C, 
9TH Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry. 
Mustered out with the company, May 20th, 1863. 



CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


Age 


MUSTEKED. 


Remarks. 


When. | Rank. 


Klingsoehr, Victor 




May 4, '61 2d Lieut. 
Co. A. 


Promoted 1st lieutenant, Dec. 24, 1861; 
wounded in action at Camden, N. C; 
captain, Aug. 10. 1862. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Powell, Frank 



22 May 4, '61 Sergeant Promoted 2nd lieutenant, March, 15, 1862; 
1st lieutenant, Nov. 1st, 1862. 



2d LIEUTENANT. 



Jacobshon, Louis 



29 



May 4, '61 



Sergeant 



Wounded in action at Antietam ; promoted 
2nd lieutenant, Oct. 22, 1862. 



1st SERGEANT. 



Geayer, James A. 



20 Mav 4, '61 Sergeant Promoted 1st sergeant, March 18, 1862; 
wounded in action at Antietam. 



SERGEANTS. 



Cooley, Dawson W. 
Field, Joshua C. 

Malcolm, Samuel L. 
Witz, Joseph 



May 4. '61 



Corporal 
Private 



Promoted sergeant, June 1, 1861; reduced, 

Oct. 31, 1862; promoted corporal, Jan. 3, 

1863; sergeant, Feb. 12, 1863. 
Promoted corporal, Sept. 1, 1861; sergeant, 

Oct 31. 1862; wounded in action at 

Antietam. 
Promoted corporal, Aug. 11, 1862; sergeant, 

Jan. 1, 1863. 
Promoted corporal, May 5, 1861; sergeant, 

June 1, 1861. : 



CORPORALS. 



Fox, Frederick 
Koch, Edward 
Lloyd, William 
Morschauser, John A 



May 4, 'ill , Private 



Sergeant 



Promoted corporal, Feb. 12, 1863. 

Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1863. 

Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1863. 

Transferred from Company F as private, 
May 1, 1862; promoted corporal, Oct 31, 

1862. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



585 



Company C. — Continued. — Mustered out with the Company. 



CORPORALS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered . 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Murray, James 


24 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 18G3. 


Roe, Charles 


31 


" 


" 


Promoted corporal, Sept. 1, 1862. 


Van Aniburg, John 


18 


" 


" 


Promoted corporal, Feb. 12, 1863. 


Wit termini, Adam 


21 


" " 


" 


Promoted corporal, Feb. 12, 1863. 



MUSICIANS. 



Relck, Theodore 
Blinn, William H. 



Oct. 14, '61 
July 31, '61 



Drummer 

103d N. Y. 

Private 



Transferred to Company C, this regiment, 

Jan. 15, 1863. 
Appointed bugler in May, 1862. 



PRIVATES. 



Aher, William B. 
Alberts, Robert H. 
Beeler, Joseph 
Bennett, Alfred 
Casey, James A. 
Caster, Edward 
Chandler, Charles L,. 
Clerihew, Paul J. 
Crawford, StephenH. 
Cross, Frank 
Cunningham, John 
Boyle, Patrick J. 
Duffy, James 
Dwight, Belos 
Flam, John 
Flowers, James W. 
Frederick, Gustavus 
Gass, Phillip, 
Gausmann, John H. 
Johnson, Redmond 
Kennedy, Edward 
Kilmer, Moses C. 
Lindner, Nicholas 
MacNab, Alexander 



22 

20 
20 

18 
18 
32 
21 
21 
19 
19 
25 
19 
20 
20 
26 
19 
20 
19 
21 
21 
19 
19 
18 



June 1, *61 
May 4, '61 



12, '61 
4, '61 



6/61 
4, '61 



Private 
Corporal 
Private 



Corporal 
Private 



Wounded in action at Antietam . 

Regimental commissary sergeant from 

Sept. 1, 1861, to June 16, 1862. 
Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 



Quartermaster sergeant from Dec. 5, 1861, 

to March 19, 1862. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Promoted corporal, Sept. 1, 1861. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 



586 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



Company C. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 
PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered . 




When. 


Rank. 




Matligan, Daniel 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 




McCalie, George 


18 


Aug. 12, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Meyers, Martin 

Morehead, 

William R. 
Morschauser, George 


23 
19 

18 


„ « 


•• 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C; 
promoted corporal, June 16, 1862. 

Wounded in action at Antietam. 


O'Brien, Daniel 


19 


" 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Opdyke, Samuel 


25 


.. 


" 




Pauly, Christian 


20 


' 


" 




Ryan, John 


19 


" 


" 




Stephens, Elsden B. 
Taylor, Henry W. 
Thomas, Charles E. 


19 
35 

21 


.. ., 


Private 
Co. K. 
Private 


Promoted corporal, June 20, 1862; wounded 

in action at Antietam. 
Transferred to this company, May 6, 1861. 


Vanderwerken, 

George 
Weber, Andrew 


20 
21 


.. 


Private 
Co. I 
Private 


Transferred to this company, May 5, 1861 . 


Witz, Paul 


23 


" " 


i4 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 



TRANSFERRED 
To 3D Regimhnt, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 

PRIVATES. 



Aston, John 


18 


Sept. 2, '61 


Private 




Brannon, John J. 


19 


Aug. 16, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Brennon, John 


21 


" 12, '61 


" 




Bridges, Richard 


35 


4, '61 


" 




Campbell, James 


21 


Oct. 15, '62 


" 




Cruden, Alexander B. 


18 


Aug. 19, '62 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Curtin, Robert R. 


25 


" 15, '62 


" 




Davis, William H. 


19 


Oct. 22, '62 


" 




Degenhardt, Henry A. 


28 


Aug. 12, '62 


" 




Farrell, Michael 


21 


" 23, '61 


" 




Greenhalgh, Squir«> 


22 


" 12, '61 


" 




Hay ward, Leonard H. 


21 


" 10, '61 


" 




Hopkins, Edward 


20 


Oct. 14. '62 


" 




Johnson, David 


24 


Aug. 2, '61 


" 





MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
TRANSFERRED.— Company C. Continued. 

PRIVATES. 



Name 



Age. 



Mustered. 



When. 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



Keenan, Phillip 

Lambrccht, Phillip 

I. "tan. James 

Madden, George 

Madden, William A, 

McCullongh, Francis 

McSherry, Matthew 

McCready, William 

Munson, Sam'l T. Jr. 

Randolph, 

Thomas F. 
Reaycraft, James 

Rhodes, Renjamin 

Ridley, Frederick 

Tornsen, Franz 

Travis, Francis 



21 
16 
18 
20 
21 
24 
19 
29 
21 
23 
■2~ 

19 
26 
21 
19 



Oct. 23, '62 
Aug. 12, '61 

" 23, '61 
Sept. 20, '62 
Aug. 22, '61 
Oct. 15, '02 
Aug. 15, '61 
Sept. 13, '62 
Aug. 5, '61 
20, '61 
Oct. 23, '62 
9, '62 
Aug. 1, '61 
Oct. 15, '62 



Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3. 
1863. 



Transferred to Company "L," 1st New 
York Cavalry, Aug. 19, 1862. 



DISCHARGED. 



CAPTAIN. 



Parisen, Otto W. 



35 May 4, '61 Captain Discharged, Aug 10, 1862, to accept position 
of quartermaster, this regiment. 



Mitchell, John D. 



2d LIEUTENANT. 



19 May4,'61 2d Lieut. Discharged, Sept. 22, 1861, by resignation. 



SERGEANT. 



Stites, Renjamin 



34 



May 12, '61 



Private 



Promoted corporal, Sept. 1, 1861 ; sergeant, 
June 20, 1862; wounded in action at An- 
tietam; discharged for disability, Dec. 
4, 1862. 



CORPORALS. 



Curie, Charles 


19 


May4,'61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, March 5, 1862; wound- 
ed in action at Antietam; discharged for 
promotion to 1st lieutenant 178th New 
York Volunteers. 










Livingston, Thomas 


21 






Promoted corporal, Oct. 1, 1861; wounded 
in action at Antietam; discharged for 
disability, Jan. 10, 1863. 



588 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



DISCHARGED.— Company C— Continued. 



MUSICIANS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Kies, Edwin H. 
Baese, Otto 


21 
16 


May 4, '61 


Musician 


Nov. 14, 1861. by enlistment as hospital 
steward, U. S t Army. 

May 8, 1861, for disability. 



PRIVATES. 



Beese, Kiuil 

Bradley, Felix 

Chandler, John W. 

Crookson, Joseph A. 

Cunningham, 

William 

Dale, Samuel, 

Davis, John 

Goldsmith Lewis 

Hallowell, Joseph 

Hassall, John 

Havens, John R. 

Havens, William A. 
Hudson, William S. 
Matile, Edward 
Munn, Theodore B. 
Page, Joseph E. K. 

Patterson, George 
Pease, William R. 
Rowan, John 

Seggee, Zachariah 
Titus, Henry 
Tuttle, Joel 

Vogel, William A. 

Wekesser, Phillip 

Wernley, George 



May 4, '61 
Aug. 20, "61 
May 4, "61 
Aug. 5, '61 
May 4. '61 

Oct. 23, '62 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 16, '61 
May 4, '61 



25 
20 
20 

18 (Aug. 12, '61 
22 



Private 



May 4, "61 



Aug. 2, '61 

" 8, '61 

May 4, '61 

Aug. 1, '61 

May 4, '61 



Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, Oct. 11, 1862. 

For disability, Aug. 23, 1862, at Falmouth 
Station, Va. 

For disability, Aug. 19, 1861. 

For disability, Dec. 11, 1862, at Falmouth 

Station, Va. 
Captured on board the "Fanny" Oct. 1, 

1861; mustered out as prisoner of war, 

May 1, 1862, at Washington, D. C. 
For disability, Aug. 2, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Feb. 18, '1863, at Washington, 

D. C. 
For disability, May 8, 1861, at New York. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, March 4, 1863. 

For disability, Sept, 12, 1862, at Falmouth 
Station, Va. 

Captured on board the "Fanny," Oct. 1, 
1861 ; discharged as paroled prisoner, 
May 21, 1862, at Washington, D. C. 

For disability, Aug. 19, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 

Discharged for promotion to first lieuten- 
ant 49th New York, May 29, 1862. 

For disability, Aug. 19, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 

Writ of habeas corpus at Philadelphia, Sept. 
27. 1862. 

Captured aboard the " Fanny," Oct. 1. 1861 ; 
discharged, as paroled prisoner, May 21, 
1862, at Washington, D.C. 

Discharged, May 4, 1863, at Providence, R.I 

For disability, Aug. 19, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
Captured on board the "Fanny." Oct. 1, 

1861; discharged as paroled prisoner, May 

21, 1862, at Washington, D.C. 
Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 

for disability, May 9, 1863. 
Discharged, May 22, 1862. 

Captured aboard the " Fanny," Oct. 1, 1861; 

discharged as paroled prisoner, May 21, 

1862, at Washington, D.C. 
Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 

for disability, Dec. 11, 1862, at Falmouth 

Sta., Va. 
Wounded in action at Camden, N.C.; dis- 
charged for disability, Nov. 6, 1862, at 

Washington, D.C. 
For disability, Aug. 19, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
Company C. — Continued. 



389 



DIED. 



1st LIEUTENANTS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 




when. 


Rank. 




Ennis, William 
Cooper, Edward C. 


19 
25 


May 4, '61 


1st Lieut. 
Sergeant 


Died of disease, Aug. 10, 1862. 

Promoted regimental quartermaster-ser- 
geant. May 4, 1861; 2d lieutenant Nov. 23, 
1861; killed in action at Antietam. 



PRIVATES. 



Center, Lucius 






Private 


Died, June 4, 1862. 


Gallagher, James 


19 


Aug. 24, '61 


" 


Died of disease at Hatteras, N.C., Nov. 4, 
1861 


Grosser, Franz 


28 


May 4, '61 


" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


Lawrence, Samuel P. 
Watson, William K. 


20 


July 29, '61 


.. 


Promoted corporal, March 5, 1862; killed in 

action at Antietam. 
Killed in action at Antietam . 


Prosser, Frank 






" 


Killed in action at Antietam . 



DESERTED. 



PRIVATES. 



Adams, Robert C. 


22 


Aug. 22, '61 


Private 


Sept. 16, 1862, near Antietam, Md. 


Arnott, John T. 


22 


" 19, '61 


" 


Sept. 16, 1862, near Antietam, Md. 


McCoy, Amos 


20 


May 4,'61 


" 


May 18, 1861, at Riker's Island, N.Y. 


Moore, Lawrence 


19 


" 


" 


June 5, 1861, at Riker's Island, N.Y. 


Kolfe, Richard 


30 


" 


" 


May 6, 1861, at Riker's Island, N.Y. 


Smith, Angelo M. 


19 


" " 


" 


May 8, 1861, at Riker's Island, N.Y. 


Wilson, George F. 


20 


July 29, '61 


" 


Dec. 12, 1862, at Fredericksburg, Va. 


Witz, Anthony 


19 


Sept. 20, '61 


" 


Sept. 16, 1862, near Antietam, Md. 



Lockwood, John 



NOT ACCOUNTED FOR. 

PRIVATE. 



May4,'61 



Private 
Co. I. 



Transferred to this company, Aug. 20, 1861; 
no further record . 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Captain Alma P. Webster's Company D, 

9TH Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

Mustered out with the company, on the 20th day of May, 1863. 



CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


AGE. 


Mustered. 
When. | Rank. 


Remarks. 


AVebster, Alma P. 


20 


May 4, '61 1st Lieut. 
1 Co. G. 


Wounded in action at Roanoke Island; 
promoted captain and transferred to this 
company, Sept. 3, 1862 


1st LIEUTENANT. 


Perley, John K. 


18 


May 4, '61 


2d Lieut. 


Promoted 1st lieutenant, March 16, 1862. 



2d LIEUTENANT. 



Meyers, Sebastian 



29 



May 4, '61 



Private 
Co. F. 



Promoted 2d lieutenant and transferred to 
this company, Sept. 3, 1862; wounded in 
action at Antietam. 



1st SERGEANT. 



Fitzgerald, James 



25 



May 4, '61 



Corporal 



Promoted sergeant, Oct. 7, 1861 ; wounded 
in action at Camden, N. C. ; promoted 1st 
sergeant, Feb. 6, 1863. 



SERGEANTS. 



Cutler, Robert 
Kennedy, James E. 
Searing, Peter J. L. 


25 

21 
19 


May 4, '61 

" 4, '61 


Private 
Corporal 
Private 


Promoted corporal, Aug. 20, 1861 ; sergeant, 

Feb. 11, 1863. 
Promoted sergeant, Sept. 1, 1861. 

Promoted corporal, Sept. 2, 1861; sergeant, 
June 19, 1862; wounded in action at An- 
tietam. 



CORPORALS. 



Black, John 


21 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 7, 1861. 


Currau, Joseph 




•' 16, '61 


" 


Promoted corporal, July 1, 1862. 


Reant, Victor 


20 


" 4, '61 


" 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 23, 1862. 


Erbe, Charles 


19 


" 


" 


Promoted corporal, Dec. 3, 1862. 


Hughson, John F. 


27 


" 


Corporal 




McNamara, John 


21 


" " 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Feb. 15, 1863. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



591 



Company D. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

CORPORALS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. | Rank. 


Moerser, John 


19 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Dec. 3, 1862. 


Nichols, Jasper 


19 


14 


" 


Promoted corporal, Sept. 1, 1861. 


Phoenix, Richard 


19 


" " 


" 


Promoted corporal, Feb. 15, 1863. 



MUSICIAN. 



Adams, Richard 



May 4, '61 



Drummer Transferred to Company C, Dec. 15, 1861; 
Co. G. I to Company D, June 6, 1862. 



PRIVATES. 



Areson, Samuel 


18 


May 4, '61 


Private 




Kerry, Theodore 


19 




' 


" 




Boylan, James 


20 




' 


" 




Briggs, Charles 


19 




" 


" 




Burns, Joseph T. 


20 




' 


" 




Campbell, William 


20 




" 


" 




Carman, George W. 


19 




" 


" 




Carson, John 


27 




' 


" 




Cavanagh, Peter 


19 




' 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Chavantre, Alfred 


21 




" 


" 




Coleman, Joseph 


18 




' 


" 




Conroy, Richard 


20 




. 


" 




Cook, John 


18 




■ 


Drummer 


Wounded in action at Fredericksburg, Va. 


Curtin, John C. 
Dark, George 


20 
19 




l L< 


Private 


Wounded and captured at Camden, N. C, 
April 19, 1862; returned to company, Oct. 
15, 1862. 


Delder, John 


21 




. 


" 




Evans, John 


21 




. 


» 




Hodges, James 


20 




' 


" 




Hunt, James 


19 




" 


" 




Keating, William 


19 




' 


u 




Lawrence, John 


20 




I 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Loyman, Louis 


23 




. 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Marshall, William 


18 




. 


" 




Martin, Alphonso 


18 




' 


" 




McCoy, Francis 


19 




" 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 



592 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



Company D. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Age. 



Mustered. 



When, 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



McCready, Edward 
McGowan, Thonias 
Mealeany, James 
Mullaney, James 
Morge, Eouis 
O'Connor, Patrick 
Quinn, Michael 
Shane, Sainuel S. 
Sherwood, Ewdard E, 
Sherman, George 
Stevenson, James 
Van Orden, Rohert 
Wiebelt, George 
Weir, Edward R. 
Wilson, Thomas 



May 4, "61 



June 4, '61 
Aug. 7. '61 

May4,'61 
June 4, '61 

May 4, '61 



Private 



Sergeant 
Private 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Promoted corporal, June 19, 1862. 
Wounded in action at Fredericksburg, Va. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 



TRANSFERRED 
To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 



CORPORALS. 



Christopher, 

Benjamin 
Purcell, Frances A. 

Sherman, George W. 



Aug. 30, '62 
Sept. 2, '61 



, Private 



Promoted corporal, Feb. 11, 1863. 

Promoted corporal, July 30, 1862; wounded 
in action at Antietam. 

Promoted corporal July 30, 1862; trans- 
ferred to non-commissioned staff of 3d 
New York. 



PRIVATES. 



Able, Hiram 


18 


Sept. 2, '61 


Private 




Bishop, Samuel 


29 


Aug. 30, '62 


' 






Blank, Martin 


29 


" 23, '61 


' 






Burger, Samuel A. 


18 


Nov. 1, '61 






Enlisted at Hatteras Inlet. 


Chavantre, Edward 


19 


Aug. 10, '61 


1 






Cortissos, David 


21 


" 24, '61 


1 






Crookston, Green T. 


18 


" 22, '61 


' 






Crowley, Florence 


28 


" 26, '61 


1 




Wounded in action at Antietam. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



S9S 



TRANSFERRED.— Company D.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Age. 



Mustered. 



When. 



Remarks. 



Eckerson, George W. 


22 


Aug. 29,' 62 


Private 


Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 


Kisel 1, Joseph 


19 


" 23,' 61 


" 




Fink, John 


23 


" 


" 




Goodyear, Charles 




Sept. 4, '61 


" 




Kennedy, Robert 


26 


Aug. 23, '61 


11 




McGill, Thomas 


22 


Aug. 14,' 61 


" 




Phoenix, Nathaniel 


18 


Sept. 13, '62 


" 




Post, Ebenezer B. 


19 


Aug 26,' 62 


" 




Roddy, John J. 
Sarles, David R. 


21 
20 


" 19, '62 
" 23, '61 


; 


Wounded and captured atAntietam; con- 
fined at Richmond; paroled; reported 
to regiment; transferred to Morris' bat- 
tery, May 6, 1863. 


Sarles William II. 


22 


" 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Schaefer, Anthony 


18 


" 28, '61 


" 




Scheik, Valentine 


21 


" 23, '61 


" 




Smith, John 


21 


" 


" 




Smith, John 


24 


Sept. 13, '62 


" 




Trainor, James 


28 


Aug. 8, '61 


" 




Van Scoy, John A. 
Van Scoy, Warren 


19 

19 


" 19, '61 


,i 


Wounded and captured at Antietam; con- 
fined at Richmond ; paroled ; reported at 
Camp Parole, Md. 


Watkinson, William 


22 


" 23, '61 


" 





Prescott, Charles VV. 
Wright, Henry 



DISCHARGED. 

CAPTAINS. 



May 4, '61 



2d Lieut. Promoted captain, Aug. 1, 1861; dischars 

by resignation, Sept 3, 1862. 
Captain Discharged by resignation, Aug. 9, 1861. 



PRIVATES. 



Anderson, Henry 

Austin, John 
Booth, Charles 



25 


May 4, '61 


Private 


35 


Aug. 28, '61 


" 


21 


May 4, '61 


Corporal 



Promoted sergeant, May 24, 1861; 1st ser- 
geant, June 19, 1862; discharged for disa- 
bility, Feb. 6, 1863, at Falmouth Station, 
Va. 

Promoted corporal, Oct. 7, 1861; sergeant, 
Jan. 9, 1862; discharged for disability, 
Feb. 15 1863 at Philadelphia, Pa. 

For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 



594 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



DISCHARGED.— Company D.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 







Mustered. 




Name. 


AGE. 






When. | Rank. 




Brainard, James n. 


18 


May 4, '61 


Sergeant 


Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, Dec. 17, 1862 


Campbell, George W. 


18 


" 


Private 


At Riker's Island, May 20, 1861. 


Cavanagh, Peter 


20 


Aug. 19, '62 


" 


For disability, May 6, 1863. 


Conklin, Jobn A. 


18 


May 4, '61 


" 


At Riker's Island, May 20, 1861. 


Dean, Junius E. 


20 


» 


" 


For disability, Nov. 18, 1861, at Hatteras 

Inlet. 
Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 


Goem, Matbias 


20 


.. 


>« 










charged for disability, March 14, 1863. 


Hackett, Thomas 


18 


June 4, '61 




For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 


Hotaling, Charles 


29 


May 4, '61 




By sentence of a general court-martial, 
Sept 8. 1861. 


Hyde, Theodore 


19 






Promoted corporal, June 19,11862; wounded 
in action at Antietam; discharged for 
disability, April 2, 1863. 


Jones, Samuel W. 


23 


Aug. 28, '61 


" 


For disability, May 2, 1863. 


Lie Noir, Henry 


19 


May 4, '61 


" 


For disability, February 17, 1863. 


Ostrom, John 


25 


" " 


" 


Promoted sergeant. May '24, 1861; dis- 
charged for disability, March 13, 1863. 


Koach, Samuel S. 


20 


Aug. 13. '62 




Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, Jan. 9. 1863. 


Rusher, William 


18 


" 15, '61 




*'or disability, Dec. 29, 1862, at Washington, 

DC. 
May 5, 1861 ; no cause stated. 


Scott, John 


18 


May4,'61 


" 


Searing, Sylvester 


19 


" 


" 


May 20, 1861 ; no cause stated 


Westfall, Henry 


26 




" 


Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability April 8, 1863, at 
Suffolk, "Va. 


VVildey, Wilfred 


19 


" 


" 


For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 


Wiltsie, James 


18 






For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 



DIED. 

SERGEANT. 



Beesling, Henry 35 May 4, '61 Sergeant Killed in action at Antietam 



PRIVATES. 



Beethuysen, Otto 


18 


May 4, 


'61 


Private 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


McCasker, John 


20 


" 




" 


Killed in action at Fredericksburg, Va. 


Michaels, Charles 


21 


" 




" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


Rothert, William 


19 


» 




" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


Taylor, Charles 


22 


» 




" 


Died of disease at Roanoke Island, May 16, 

1862. 
Died of disease at Falmouth Sta., Va., Jan. 

10, 1863. 


Winn, John 


18 


iSept 3, 


'62 


" 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 

Company D. — Continued. 

NOT ACCOUNTED FOR. 

PRIVATE. 



893 





Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 




When. 


Rank. 


Scott, Charles O. 


18 


Sept. 4, '61 


Private 


Appears on rolls of January and February, 
1862, without remark; no further record . 



DESERTED. 

PRIVATES. 



Alexander, Phillip 


24 


May 4, '61 


Private 


At Riker's Island, May 15, 1861 . 




Barns, Charles 


21 


July 31, '61 


" 


At Suffolk Va., April 28, 1863. 




Donnelly, Andrew 


21 


Aug. 8, '61 


" 


August 16. 1861, at New York, N. Y 




Fletcher, Out man 


18 


May 4, '61 


" 


May 20, 1861. 




Haynes, James 


19 


" 


" 


May 12, 1861, at New York, N.Y. 




Rogers, William 


18 


" 


» 


Jan. 3, 1863. 




Rosseau, Eugene 


31 


" 


" 


Sept. 5, 1862. 




Shay, Charles D. 


22 






Promoted corporal, Sept. 1, 1861; 
at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862, 
enemy. 


deserted 
in face or 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Captain Adolph Libaire's Company E, 
9TH Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry. 
Mustered out with the company, May 20th, 1863. 



CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


Age. 


MtTSTEHED. 

When. Rank. 


Remarks. 


Libaire, Adolph 


21 


May 4, '01 


Captain 


Received Medal of Honor for distinguished 
gallantry at the Battle of Antietam . 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Promoted 1st sergeant, June 30, 1801; 2d 
lieutenant, Aug. 10. 1801; wounded in ac- 
tion at Rainbow Bluffs. N.C.; promoted 
1st lieutenant, Oct. 4, 1862; transferred to 
this company Dec. 1. 1802 . 



Greene, Joseph A. 



May 4, '01 



Sergeant 
Co. F. 



Vogt, Alexander 



2d LIEUTENANT. 



May 4, '01 



Private 



Promoted corporal, Sept. 20,1801; sergeant, 
Jan. 21, 1802; 1st sergeant, Feb. 12, 1802; 
second lieutenant. Aug. 10, 1802. 



1st SERGEANT. 



Smith, Abisha N. 



24 May 4, '61 Private Promoted, 1st sergeant. Nov. 21, 1802. 



SERGEANT. 



Gandolfo, .lohn B. 19 May 4, '61 Sergeant Wounded in action at Antietam 



CORPORALS. 



Campbell, 


20 


May 4, '01 


Private 


Wounded in action at Antietam; promoted 


Benjamin W. 








corporal, March 11, 18(53. 


Clements, James 


25 






Wounded and captured at Antietam; pa- 
roled same day; returned to regiment; 
promoted corporal Feb. 13,1803. 


Farrell, Nicholas 


25 




'< 


Wounded and captured at Antietam; pa- 
roled, date not stated; reported to com- 
pany: promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1803. 


Martin, John E. 


21 


" " 


'* 


Promoted corporal, March 11, 1803. 


McMahon, James 


30 


l. u 


11 


Promoted corporal, March 11, 1863. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 597 

Company E— Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 
MUSICIANS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. Rank. 


Remarks. 


Lange, John S. 21 
Logan, John F. 17 


May 4, '61 


Bugler 
Musician 


Wounded and captured at Antietam; pa- 
roled and reported to company. 



PRIVATES. 



Bauer, John J. 

Byrne, Hugh 

Cahill, Patrick 

Chapin, John J. 

Cockefaii*, 

William N. 
Coen, Patrick 

Dever, Daniel 

Dietrich, Christ. 

Dillman, Frederick 

Dunlap, August P. 

Earl, Charles 

Ellis, William H. 

Fisher, Peter 

Fransier, Phillip 

Gill, Francis P. 

Hall, James H. 

Hanrahan, John 

Hefrerinan, John 

Higgins, Jeremiah J. 

Hyde, James W. 

James, Frederick 

Keenau, Michael 

Kelley, Thomas T. 

Knuhel, Henry 
Logan, David O. 
McDowell, Samuel 
McGowan, James 
Millenet, Henry 
>Iiller, Austin 
Morgan, Metart 
Nichols, Adam 



1!) 
23 
20 
19 
26 
21 
19 
20 
22 
19 
21 
21 
24 
19 
28 
20 
24 
20 
22 
22 

20 
20 

21 
19 
19 
21 
18 
19 
21 
23 



May 4, '61 

Aug. 21, '61 

May 4, '61 



7, '61 
4, '61 
Aug. 5, '61 
Aug. 12, '61 
May 4, '61 



May 4, '61 



Private 



1st Sergeant 
Private 



Musician 

Co. D. 

103d N.Y. 

Private 



Corporal 
Private 



Private 
Co. F. 

Private 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 
Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Wounded in action at Fredericksburg, Va. 



Wounded in action at Suffolk, Va . , April 20, 
1863. 



Wounded in action at Fredericksburg, Va. 
Wounded in action at Roanoke Island, N.C. 



Transferred to Company E, this regiment, 
Jan. 15, 1863. 



Wounded and captured at Camden. N.C. 
exchanged; promoted corporal, Nov. 21, 
1862. 



Transferred to this company May 22, 1861; 
wounded in action at Roanoke Island . 

Captured and paroled at Antietam; re- 
turned to duty. 



S98 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



Company E. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered, 


Remarks. 




When. 


Rank. 




Pratt, Amasa 


31 


May 4,'61 


Private 






Reavey, Hugh 


19 


" 


" 






Rossner, Frederick 


19 


" 


" 






Rung, Frederick 


19 


" 


" 






Sawyer, Charles W. 


26 


" 


•' 


Wounded in action at Antietam . 




Sinclair, RaimondH. 


22 


" 


" 






Stewart, Edward 


25 


" 


•' 






Stuart, Thonias 


21 


" 


" 






Van Cott, William H. 
Van Syckle, Albert S. 


22 
19 


'• " 


Private 
Co. A. 

Private 
Co. B. 


Transferred to this company, Jan. 1, 

wounded in action at Camden, N .C. 

Transferred to this company, Aug. 23, 


1862; 
1862. 



TRANSFERRED 
To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 

SERGEANTS. 



Burke, John J. 


21 


Aug. 9, 


'61 


Private 


Promoted sergeant, Nov. 21,1862; wounded 
in action at Fredericksburg. 


Hankinson, 


20 


" 


" 


" 


Promoted sergeant, Aug. 11, 1862; wounded 


Charles 11 . 










in action at Antietam. 


Flood, Owen A. 


24 


" 6, 


'61 




Wounded in action at Antietam; promoted 
sergeant, Nov. 21, 1862. 



CORPORALS. 



Dyruff, Charles 


20 


Aug. 9, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Nov 21,1862. 


Hanrahan, Thonias 


22 


" 5, '61 


11 


Promoted corporal, June 12, 1862; transferred 
as Hanasell. 



PRIVATES. 



Alexander, George 


18 


Aug. 25, '61 


Private 




Auderbert, 

Alexander 
Black, Samuel 


19 


Oct, 20,'62 
Aug. 21, '61 


' 




Burke, Francis 


20 


" 9, '61 


" 




Dally, Joseph S. 


20 


" 26, '61 


" 




Dally, James 


28 


Sept. 9, '62 


" 




Dalton, Thomas F. 


21 


" 3, - 62 


" 





MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



599 



TRANSFERRED.— Company E.— Continued. 



PRIVATE. 



Name. 


AGE. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Drlscoll, RobertB. 


18 


Aug. 25, '61 


Private 




Doris, Francis 
Gaines, Edgar N . 


21 
19 


" 28, '62 
" 27, '62 


Private 
Co. D. 
Private 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862. 


Fisett, Edward 


27 


Sept. 16, '62 


" 




Haines, Benjamin O. 


32 


" 10, '62 


" 




Henken, Henry 


20 


Aug. 19, '61 


" 




Holliday, David C. 


23 


" 


" 




Knowles, William G. 


21 


Sept. 4, '62 


" 




Langdon, Samuel 


21 


Aug. 30, "62 


Private 
Co. D. 
Private 
Co. D. 
Private 

Private 
Co. D. 
Private 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862. 


Lee, Robert 


30 


Sept. 16, '62 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862. 


Lockwood, 

William J. 
Murphy, James 


28 
21 


Aug. 15, '61 
" 23, '62 


Captured and paroled at Antietam; returned 

to duty. 
Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862. 


Murray, Thomas 


21 


Aug. 23, '61 




Nichols, Edward D. 


18 


" 26, '61 


" 




North, Henry 


21 


" 19, '62 


Private 
Co.D. 
Private 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862. 


Owens, James 


21 


Sept. 4, '62 




Rush, George 
Smith, Martin 


21 
23 


Aug. 30,'62 
" 17, '61 


Private 
Co. D. 
Private 


Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862; 
transferred to Morris' t battery, May 3, 1863. 



Dan, William 



24 May 4, '61 Private Transferred to 1st N.Y. Vols., Sept. 8, 1861. 



DISCHARGED. 



1st LIEUTENANTS. 



Lucquen, Andre 
Bartlett, John H. 



May 4, '61 



1st Lieut. 



Elected 1st lieutenant commissioned; not 

mustered; no further record. 
Discharged, Oct. 23, 1861, at Hatteras Inlet, 

N.C. 



3d LIEUTENANT. 



Bartlett, William A. 



24 



May 4, '61 



2d Lieut. 



Discharged, Oct. 23, 1861, at Hatteras Inlet, 
N.C. 



SERGEANT. 



Keating, James D. 



22 



May 4, '61 



Corporal 



Promoted sergeant, Sept. 6, 1861; wounded 
in action at Antietam; discharged for dis- 
ability, April 23, 1863, at Philadelphia, Pa . 



600 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



DISCHARGED.— Company E.— Continued. 



CORPORALS. 



Name. 


Age. 


musteked. 
When. | Rank. 


Remarks. 


Davis. James 
Hart, Frank 


33 
20 


May4,'61 


Corporal 


For disability, June 3, 1862, at Roanoke Is- 
land. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; promoted 
corporal, Nov. 20, 1862; discharged for dis- 
ability, Feb. 20, 1863. at Philadelphia, Pa. 



PRIVATES. 



Birdsall, John 
Burke, Tobias 
Cumniiiigs, Daniel 
Gorman, Patrick 
Hesse, John 

Hoffman, Frederick 
Hyer, James 

Jaiger, Andrew 

Johnston, Frank H. 
Knuhel, John 

Latapie, Peter 
McComb, Thomas 
McLean, William H. 
McLaughlin, Paul 

Moore, William H. 
Owen, Thomas C. 
Pollock, William 

Thompson, John P. 
Volk, Andrew 

Withers, James 



20 


July 31, 


'61 


35 


Aug. 7, 


'61 


20 


May 4, 


'61 




" 16, 


'61 


18 


Aug. 6, 


'61 


21 


May 4, 


'61 


21 


" 


" 



Aug. 19, '61 
May 4, '61 

May 4, '61 
Aug, 20, '61 

" 23, '61 

" 7, '61 

May 4, '61 



Private 



Corporal 
Private 



Musician 
Co. F. 



Private 



For disability, Aug. 26, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Jan. 29, 1863, at Washington, 

D.C. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at .[Newport 

News. Va. 
Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 

for disability, Jan. 7, 1863, at Philadelphia, 

Pa 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 

for disability, Jan. 13, 1863, at Chestnut 

Hill Pa. 
Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 

for disability, March 26, 1863, at Washing- 
ton. D.C. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 

for disability, April 18, 1863, at Antietam 

Hospital. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, May 12, 1862, at Washington, 

D.C. 
For disability, March 16, 1863, New York City. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 
for disability, Feb. 17, 1863, at Camp Con- 
valescent, Va. 

By sentence of a general court martial, 
Nov. 22,1862. 

For disability, Oct. 15, 1862, at Philadelphia, 
Pa. 

Transferred to this company as 'private, 
May 22, 1861; discharged for disability, 
Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport News, Va. 

For disability. Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 
for disability, April 23,il863, at Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; discharged 
for disability, April 23, 1863, at Philadel- 
phia. 



DIED. 

PRIVATES. 



Auten, John R. 
Bloxbam, Richard 



24 May 4, '61 
21 Aug.'21,'61 



Private 



Drowned, Nov. 1, 1861, at Hatteras Inlet.N.C. 

Promoted corporal, June 12, 1862; died of 
wounds received in action at Antietam. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
DIED.— Company E. — Continued. 

PRIVATES. 



601 



Name 


Age. 


Mustered. 


When. 


Rank. 


Chrissman, Michael 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Dillman Adam 


20 


i. 


» 


Dunn, John 


19 


Aug. 19,'61 


" 


Glasser, Phillip 


19 


May 4, '61 


" 


Golding, Thomas 


23 


" 


" 


Hassen, Robert It. 


21 


» 


» 


Jacknm, Nicholas 


20 


.. 


" 


Judge, James 


25 


" 


" 


Leonard, Augustus 


22 


" 


" 


IiOckwood, 

Jabez C. F. 
McDermott, Bernard 


22 

18 


Aug.15,'61 
" 1, '61 


„ 


McEntee, James 


19 


" 5, '61 


" 


Smith, John 


24 


" 14, '61 


" 


Sweetman, Henry 


19 


May 4, '61 


" 


Van Syckle, 

William B. 


25 


" " 


" 



Remarks. 



Promoted corporal, date not stated; died of 

wounds received at Antietam . 
Killed in action at Antietam. 

Died of disease, Dec. 22, 1861, at Hatteras 

Inlet. N.C. 
Killed in action at Antietam . 

Drowned, Nov. 1, 1861, at Hatteras Inlet, 

N.C. 
Killed in action at Antietam. 

Killed in action at Antietam. 

Promoted corporal, date not stated; died of 

wounds received at Antietam. 
Killed in action at Antietam . 

Killed in action at Antietam. 

Killed in action at Antietam . 

Killed in action at Antietam . 

Killed in action at Antietam. 

Died of wounds received at Camden, N.C. 

Died of wounds received at Roanoke Island, 
N.C. 



DESERTED. 



Nolan, Michael 
Smith, Edward 
Thornton, Beverly E. 

Winder, Ferdinand 



May 4, '61 



Sergeant 

Private 

Private 
Co. F. 

Private 



Jan. 4, 1863, at hospital. 

May 24, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 

Transferred to this company, May 4, 1861- 
deserted, Aug. 30, 1861, at Newport News 
Va. 

June 4, 1861, at New York, N.Y. 



NOT ACCOUNTED FOR. 



Scott, William 


20 


May 4, '61 


Musician 


No further record . 


Harpell, Charles 


23 


" 


Private 


No further record . 


Freeman, Charles 


20 


" 


" 


No further record . 


Borstk, William 


20 


" " 


" 


No further record. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Capt. William H. Hammil's Company F, 

9TH Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

Mustered out with the company, on the 20th day of May, 1863. 

CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


M am in i 11, 

William H. 


24 


May 4, '61 


Captain 


Wounded in Action at Camden, N.C. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Graham, Matthew J. 



May 4, '61 



Sergeant 
Co. A. 



Promoted 1st sergeant, Dec. 1, 1861; 2d lieu- 
tenant, May 25, 1862; wounded in action at 
Antietam; promoted 1st lieutenant, Com- 
pany F, Jan. 29, 1863. 



Green, David J. 



Martin, Peter J. 



3d LIEUTENANT. 



23 May 4, '61 Sergeant Promoted 1st sergeant, Jan. 1, 1862; 2d lieu- 
tenant, Nov . 1, 1862. 



1st SERGEANT. 



May 4, '61 



Sergeant 



Captured at Plymouth, N.C; exchanged; 
promoted 1st sergeant, date not stated. 



SERGEANTS. 



Armstrong:, 

Robert W. 
Denham, James B. 

Ingersoll, William H. 

Meinacke, Theodore 


18 

22 
35 


May 4, '61 
" 13, '61 
" 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, date not stated; ser- 
geant, Jan. 1, 1863. 

Promoted sergeant, Oct. 1. 1801; wounded 
in action at Camden, N.C. 

Promoted sergeant, Sept. 5, 1862. 

Promoted sergeant, May 1, 1862. 



CORPORALS. 



Craft, George 


21 


May 4, '61 


Private 
Private 


Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1863. 


Dwire, David W. 


21 




Co. 1. 


Transferred to this company, May 4, 1861; 
promoted corporal, June 1, 1861 . 


Fink, John 


29 


" " 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 1, 1861; wounded in 
action at Camden, N.C. 


Hughes, John I, 


20 


" 14 


" 


Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1862; wounded in 
action at Camden, N.C. 


Wallenstein, Henry 


21 






Promoted corporal, Aug. 27, 1862. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
Company F. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 



603 



MUSICIANS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Flockton, Thomas 
Walsh, John F. 


28 
17 


May 4, '61 


Private 

Musician 
Co. H. 


Promoted chief bugler, May 4, 1861; trans- 
ferred to Company D, date not stated; to 
Company F, Dec. 27, 1862. 

Transferred to this company, May 15, 1861 . 



PRIVATES. 



Berdan, William 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 




Busch, Frederick 


23 


" 


" 




Byrd, Frederick 


19 


•' 


" 




Cochran, Thomas 


18 


" 


" 




Cole, Alfred R. 


22 


u 


" 




Coalman, Louis 
Daley, William H. 


23 
21 


" 16, '61 
" 4, *61 


Private 
Co. E. 
Private 


Transferred to this company, Aug. 21, 1861; 
wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 


Denham, William 




" 13, '61 


" 




Donohue, Thomas A. 


19 


4, '61 


" 




Duncan, William 


28 


" 13, '61 


" 




England, Jacob 


22 


" 4, '61 


< 




Fucot, Eouis 


28 


" 


" 




Gray, John N. 
Guutlier, Henry 


22 

21 


.< 


: 


Captured at Plymouth, N.C; prisoner of 

war from Sept. 23 to Dec. 23, 1862. 
Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 


Hartenfels, William 


24 


" 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 


Hermans, William I.. 


21 


» 


" 




Hoffman, George B. 


20 


" 15, '61 


.( 




Hollinswai the, John 


21 


4, '61 


" 




Howard, Joseph D. 


21 


July 30, '61 


(i 


Wounded in action at Rainbow Bluffs, N.C. 


Hyne, Edwin R. 


24 


May 15, '61 


» 




Kelly, John J. 
Larkin, John 


19 


" 13, '61 
Aug. 16, '61 


lt 


Wounded and captured at Camden, N.C; 
exchanged and mustered out with com- 
pany. 


Leonhard, Jacob 


18 


May 4, '61 


" 




Marshall, Samuel 
Monk, Charles T. 


21 
18 


» ,. 


Private 
Co. I. 
Private 


Transferred to^this company, May 5, 1861 . 


Moore, Francis J. 


20 


" " 


" 




Munson, George W. 


18 


" " 


" 




Parezo, Francis M. 


28 


" " 


" 




Reed, William H. 


23 


" " 


Corporal 





604 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



Company F. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

PRIVATES. 





Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 




When. | Rank. 


Richards, Joseph H. 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 




Riley, James 


20 


" » 


" 




Ruff, Segimund 


22 


" " 


U 




Schleth, Henry W. 


19 


" " 


" 




Starr, Amos L. 


21 


u 


» 




Taylor, George 


19 


" " 


" 




Thompson, George C. 


19 


» " 


" 




Von Grieff, Max 


18 


" " 


» 




Weiss, John P. 


aq 


" 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 


West, Theodore F. 




" 15, "61 


Private 
Co. H. 

Private 
Co. I. 

Private 


Transferred to this company, May 15, 18G1 . 


Westervelt, John H. 


22 


4, '61 


Transferred to this company, May 5, 1861 . 


White, Joseph E. 


22 


" 




Wiley, Charles H. 
Wright, Clark 


33 
21 


» « 


Drum Major 
Corporal 


Transferred to this company as a private 
when band was discharged . 



Wilcox, George W. 



DISCHARGED. 

SERGEANT. 



May 1, '61 



Private 



Promoted sergeant, Jan. 1, 1862; wounded 
and captured at Camden, N. C; ex 
changed; discharged for disability, Aug. 

6, 1862, at Annapolis, Md. 



CORPORAL. 



McMillan, John 



32 



May 4, "61 



Corporal 



By promotion to captain 87th N. Y. Vol. 
Oct. 4,1861. 



PRIVATES. 



Afflick, Stephen D. 

Brinkerhoff, 

Edward u. 
Bruce, Orsamus B. 

Carpenter, Jasper, G. 

Clinton, Joel C. 

Cosgrove, James 

Crookson, 

Absalom A. 

Cummins, George G. 

Eike, William H. 



May 4, '61 
Aug. 12, '61 
May 4, '61 
" 13, '61 
Aug. 17, '61 
May 4, '61 
June 4, '61 

Aug. 8, '61 
May 4, '61 



Private 



For disability at Newport News, Va., June 

17,1861. 
For disability at Newbern, N.C, Sept. 6, 

1862. » 

For disability at Hatteras Inlet, N.C, Oct. 

7,1861. 
For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 

20, 1861. 
For disability, May 23, 1862. 

For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 
20, 1861 . 

Taken prisoner at Camden, N. C; dis- 
charged by promotion to captain 6th N.Y. 
H.A. 

Wounded in action at Camden, N.C; dis- 
charged for disability, Aug. 8, 1862. 

For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 
20, 1861 . 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



60S 



DISCHARGED.— Company F.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered . 




When. | 


Rank. 




Eike, Charles 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 


For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 
20, 1861 . 


Green, George L. 


21 


" 13, '61 




For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 
20, 1861 . 


Grogan, John 


18 


" 4, '61 




For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 
26, 1861 . 


Hodgkins, Augustus 


25 


" 44 


14 


For disability at Riker's Island, N. Y., June 
1.1861. 


Hughes, William H. 


24 


U 11 




For disability at Falmouth Sta., Va., Aug. 
23, 1862. 


Leaycraft, John C. 


21 


it " 


44 


For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 
20, 1861. 


Neiler, Benjamin F. 


28 


Aug. 6, '61 


44 


For disability at Newbern, N.C., Sept. 4, 

1862. 
For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 


Parmenter, Henry 


19 


May 4, '61 


" 










20, 1861. 


Plase, William 


17 




44 


For disability at Riker's Island, N.Y., May 
15, 1861 . 


Read, Thomas 




" 13, '61 




For disability at Newport News, Va., Aug. 
20, 1861 . 


Renner, Henry C. 


24 


May 4, '61 


Corporal 


For disability at Newbern, N.C., Sept. 6, 

1862. 
For disability at Hatteras Inlet, N. C, Dec. 


Waldron, Charles H. 


20 


Aug. 26, '61 


Private 










23, 1861 . 


Wolff, Louis 


23 


" 1, '61 




For disability at Hatteras Inlet, N.C., Nov. 
18, 1861. 



TRANSFERRED 
To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 

CORPORALS. 



Bagwell, William E. 


27 


July 28, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, May 20, 1862. 




Johnson, Stephen 


27 


" 30, '61 


" 


Promoted corporal, May 1, 1862. 




Vallade, Francis 


20 


Aug. 5, '61 


44 


Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 
moted corporal, May 1, 1862. 


; pro- 



PRIVATES. 



Beers, Henry A. M. 
Cornwell, Charles H. 
Denike, Alexander B. 
Depew, William 
Feistel, William 
Fish, John B. 
Goodrich, Leonard 
Howell, Francis 
Hoyt, John 
Johnson, John H. 
McDonnell, James 



18 


July 30, 


•61 


18 


Aug. 10 


•t',1 


22 


" 3, 


'61 


21 


July 30 


'61 


20 


Aug. 1, 


'61 


26 


" 20, 


'61 


30 


" 1, 


'61 


19 


" 11, 


'61 


18 


" 7, 


'61 


29 


" 11, 


'01 


18 


" 6, 


'61 




606 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL, 



TRANSFERRED.— Company F. —Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Age, 



Mustered. 



When. 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



Polhemus. 

Adelbert C. 
Reed, Samuel E. 

Reid, George W. 

Smith, George W. 

Spaulding, Allen D. 

Stewart, Charles H. 

Stockholm, John C. 

Tate, Samuel 

Tumey, John W. 

Willis, Isaac N. 



July 30, '61 

" 28, '61 

Aug. 1, '61 

" 9, '61 

Nov. 12,'62 

July 1, '61 

Aug. 6, '61 

" 7, '61 

" 9, '61 

" 1, '61 



Private 



DIED. 



PRIVATES. 



Bennett, John H. 


30 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Of disease at Newport News, Va., July 26, 

1861. 
Wounded in action at Camden, N.C.; killed 

in action at Antietam. 
Of disease at Hatteras Inlet, N.C., Jan. 3, 

1862. 
Of disease at Plymouth, N.C., Sept. 24,1862. 


Byrd, John 
Dickson, William H. 


22 

18 


Aug. 6, '61 




Garrison, Iiossetter 


26 


" 7, '61 




Justice, Thomas 


24 


" 4, '61 




Of disease at Hatteras Inlet, N.C., Oct. 13, 

1861. 
Killed in action at Camden, N.C. 


Sheppard, Herman 


23 


" 




Van Houten, William 


27 


" 14, '61 




Of disease at Hatteras Inlet, Jan. 13, 1862. 


Von Grieff, Otto 


21 


May 4, '61 




Promoted corporal, date not stated; killed 
in action at Camden, N.C. 



DESERTED. 

PRIVATES. 



Rath, Theodore 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 


At New York City, May 10, 1861 . 


Lockwood, David 


25 


" «« 


" 


At New York City, May 10, 1861. 


O'Hara, John 


23 


" 


" 


At New York City, May 10, 1861 . 


Smith, Julian 


22 


i« t« 


" 


At New York City, May 20, 1861. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Captain Charles Childs' Company G, 

9th Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

Mustered out with the company, on the 20th day of May, 1863. 

CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered . 
When. | Rank. 


Remarks. 


Childs, Charles W. 


21 


May 4, '61 


1st Lieut. 
Co. A 


Promoted captain, and transferred to this 
company, March 15, 1862; wounded in ac- 
tion at Antietam. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Harrison, John S. 28 May 4, '61 1st Lieut 



3d LIEUTENANT. 



Glasser, Charles W. 



20 May 4, '61 Sergeant Promoted 1st sergeant, Jan. 1, 1862; 2d lieu- 
tenant, Sept. 25, 1862. 



1st SERGEANT. 



Cannon, Patrick 



May 4, '61 



Private 



Wounded in action at Camden, N.C.; pro- 
mote d 1st sergeant, Nov. 26, 1862. 



SERGEANTS. 



Clark, Peter 


23 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted sergeant, Nov. 26, 1862. 


Knight, Frank 


21 


" " 


" 


Promoted sergeant, July 1, 1861. 


Reisser, Charles 


26 


" 


" 


Promoted sergeant, Aug. 1, 1862. 


Riley, Edward 


19 


it ii 


" 


Promoted sergeant, Jan. 22, 1862. 



CORPORALS. 



Fronapfel, Valentine 
Holland, Thomas 


28 
26 


May 4,'61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Jan. 21, 1862; wounded 

in action at Camden, N.C. 
Promoted corporal, Oct. 18, 1862. 


Mannix, Patrick 


20 


.. 


" 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 7, 1862. 


«_>u in ii. Hugh 


28 


" " 


" 


Promoted corporal, Nov. 26, 1862. 


Slaight, David M. 


30 


" " 


" 


Promoted corporal, July 1, 1861. 



608 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



Company G. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

MUSICIAN. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Deary, James 


21 


Aug. 14, '62 


Private 


Mustered out as musician . 



PRIVATES. 



Ackerson, George 
Barrett, Andrew 
Brady, Michael 
Cannon, Cornelius 
Collins, Thomas 
Cornell, Alonzo 
Cotter, Patrick 
Crowley, David 
Drake, Janies 
Drum, Edward 
Eadas, John 
Farley, Thomas 
Fields, William M. 
Gaffney, John 
Gehing, Anthony 
Hertling, Michael 
Hill, William 
Keating, George H. 
Kenna, Michael 
King, James 
McDonough, Michael 
McMurray, William 
McSorley, Hugh 
O'Brien, Timothy 
O'Donnell, Charles 
Oesan, John 
Patrick, Daniel 
Shuart, Herman 
Spark, Charles J. 
Tourney, John 
Van Varick, Joseph 
Weaver, John C. 



22 


May 4, 


'61 


35 


Aug. 6, 


'61 


23 


May 4, 


'61 


19 


" 




22 


.. 




18 


June 1, 


'61 


19 


May 4, 


'CI 


21 


< 




27 


ii 




23 


.1 




20 


.. 




23 


" 




23 


June 1, 


'61 


19 


July 31, 


't;i 


20 


May 6, 


•t;i 


21 


" 4, 


'61 


21 


•' 




18 


" 




30 


" 




20 


June 1, 


'61 


19 


May 4, 


'61 


18 


" 




24 


" 




21 


" 




21 


" 




21 


ii 




19 


" G, 


'61 


20 


" 4, 


'61 


21 


» 




21 


» 




21 


Sept. 26 


'61 


19 


May 4, 


'61 



Private 



Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 



Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 
Mustered out at New York City, Aug. 1, 1863. 

Wounded in action at Antietam . 



Wounded and captured at Antietam; re- 
turned to duty, Nov. 28, 1862. 
Wounded in action at Antietam. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



609 



Company G. — Continued. — Mustered out with the Company. 

PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered, 
When. | Rank. 


Remarks. 


Weisohar, Antoine 
Wentz, Jacob 
Williams, William 


19 
19 
25 


May 4, '61 


Private 

Private 

Co. A. 

Corporal 


Transferred to this company, May 8, 1801 . 



TRANSFERRED 
To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 



CORPORALS. 



Dean, Gilbert E. 


30 


Aug. 20, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, date not stated . 


Russell, John 


23 


" 16, '61 


« 


Promoted corporal, March 4, 1863. 


Toms, Edgar A. 


21 


Sept. 1, '61 


" 


Promoted corporal, Nov. 26, 1862. 



PRIVATES. 



Allison, James 
Avent, George E. 
Bogart, Cornelius 
Brosman, Daniel 
Cohen, TLeo 
Collins, William 
Coulman, Charles 
Coiil man, Emil J. 
Cuthbert, Peter W. 
Dealy, John 
Delmotte, George E 
Doyle, James 
Early, John 
Johnson, Charier; E. 
Kelly, Patrick 
Kennedy, John 
Kimbark, Alexander 
Eounsberry, James S. 
McDonugh, Eugene 



19 


Aug. 2, 


01 


Private 


24 


" 16, 


'62 


" 


21 


" 6, 


01 


" 


19 


Sept. 13, 


•62 


" 


21 


Aug. 28, 


'62 


" 


22 


" 26, 


•01 


" 


26 


" 23, 


'02 


" 


20 


" 


' 


" 


22 
22 

18 


" 28. 
Sept. 5, 
Aug. 1, 


'02 
'02 
'01 


Private 
Co. D. 
Private 
Co. D. 
Private 


22 


Oct. 20, 


•02 


" 


19 


Aug. 17, 


'01 


" 


20 


" 27, 


02 


" 


23 


6, 


•01 


•* 


18 


" 19, 


01 


» 


29 


Aug. 20, 


'02 


" 


35 


" 22, 


'02 


" 


25 


" 19, 


'01 


» 



Wounded in action at Antietam . 
Wounded in action at Antietam . 
Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1^62. 
Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1802. 



Wounded in action at Roanoke Island . 



610 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
TRANSFERRED.— Company G.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Mustered. 



When. 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



McElroy, Hugh 


22 


Aug. 9, '61 


Private 


Wounded in action at Camden, N.C. 


Mitchel, Kobert 


23 


July 31, '61 


" 




Mitchel, William 


21 


Aug. 30, '61 


" 




Murph, John F. 


21 


Sept. 3. '62 


" 




O'Brien, Michael 


18 


Aug. 14, '61 


" 




Orr, .1 am es W. 


21 


" 30, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antletam. 


Parker, John W. 


24 


" 26, '61 


" 




Kockwell, Thomas H. 


23 


Sept. 1, '62 


« 




Taylor, Edward 


28 


Aug. 14, '62 


" 




Teller, George 


18 


" 10, '61 


» 




Thompson, David 1,. 
Tice, William H. 


25 

20 


" 13, '62 
'• 14, '62 


>. 


Wounded and captured at Antietam; pa- 
roled, Oct. 6, 1862; returned to company. 


Todd, Benjamin D. 


39 


" 23, '62 


" 




Toms, George B. 


20 


Sept. 3, '61 






Tyack, Solomon 


23 


4, '62 


" 




Walsh, Michael 


21 


Nov. 13, '62 


" 




Watson, John 


21 


Aug. 20, '62 


11 





DISCHARGED. 



2d LIEUTENANTS. 



Burdett, Richard A. 


21 


May 4, '61 


Sergeant 


Promoted 1st sergeant, date not stated; 2d 
lieutenant, Jan. 1, 1862; discharged by 
resignation, Jan. 30, 1863. 


McElrath, 


25 


" " 


2d Lieut. 


Discharged to accept commission in 5th U. 


Thomson P. 








S. Artillery, June 23, 1861. 



CORPORALS. 



Andrews, Stephen P. 
Ebbis, William H. 



May 4, '61 
Aug. 19, '61 



Corporal 
Private 



At New York, May 29, 1861, as being under 
age. 

Promoted corporal, Jan. 20, 1802; discharged 
for disability, Nov. 28, 1862, at Falmouth 
Station, Va, 



MUSICIAN. 



Matle, William 



May 4, '61 Musician 



May, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



61 1 



DISCHARGED.— Company G.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Age. 



Mustered. 



When. 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



Allison, Evander 
Allison, Garrett 

Berthalf, Gilbert 

Boulanger.Frederick 
Brinkman, Frederick 
Connelly, Thomas W. 

Crook, Phillip 

Daley, Dennis 
Doherty, Daniel 

Edsall, William H. 



Edwards, 

Augustus A. 
Ellin, John 

Everard, Gardner 



Ferguson, Samuel H. 
Goodwin, William 
Hass, Nicholas 
Hawes, Benjamin F. 
Hawkey, George W. 
Hodge, William M. 
Judge, Francis 
Kavanagh, Charles 
Murdock, Andrew 
McMurray, John G. 
Meyers, Horace W. 
Moran, William 

Murray, George E. 
Negus, Addison G. 
Parker, William J. 
Reynolds, Jesse F. 

Sorby, James 
Spofford, Ira 
Sullivan, Jeremiah 



May 4, '61 



Private 



33 


" " 


25 


Aug. 24, '61 


18 


" 21, '61 


30 


May 4, '61 


22 


'• 



21 

21 
26 

18 
29 

26 
20 
21 
20 
21 
30 
32 
22 
20 
18 

26 
22 
28 
27 

24 
39 
21 



Aug. 7, '61 
20, '61 
May 4, '61 

Aug. 23, '62 
May 4, '61 



Sept. 2, '61 
Aug 19, '62 
June 1, '61 
Aug. 14, '61 

" 22, '62 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 26, '61 
May 4, '61 

Aug. 20, '61 
May 4, '61 



Private 
Co. A. 



Private 



For disability, at Hatteras Inlet, N. C, 
Dec. 5, 1861. 

Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. ; dis- 
charged for disability at Pleasant Valley, 
Md., Oct. 25, 1862. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability at Philadelphia, 
Pa., Jan. 29, 1863. 

For disability, at Newport News, Va., 
Aug. 19,1861. 

For disability, at New York, June 4, 1861. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability at Baltimore, Md., 
March 24, 1863. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged Nov. 11, 1862, by enlistment in 
Fifth U.S. Cavalry. 

For disability, at Hatteras Inlet, N.C., Dec. 
24,1861. 

Captured on board the "Fanny," Oct. 1, 
1861; discharged as paroled prisoner, May 
21, 1862, at Washington, DC. 

Captured on board the "Fanny", Oct. 1, 
1861; discharged as paroled prisoner, May 
21, 1862, at Washington, D. C. 

For disability, at Fortress Monroe, Va., 
Jan. 9, 1862. 

For disability, at Philadelphia, Pa , Dec. 
19, 1862. 

Captured on the "Fanny," Oct. 1, 1861; pa- 
roled, May 11, 1862; discharged as paroled 
prisoner. May 21, 1862. 

May 20, 1863 ; cause not stated. 

For disability, at Washington, D. C, Nov. 

8, 1862. 
For disability, at Newport News, Va., Aug. 

19, 1861. 
For disability, at Newport News, Va., July 

31, 1861. 
For disability, at Newport News, Va., Aug. 

26, 1861 . 
For disability, at Newport News.Va., Aug. 

19, 1861 . 
For disability, at New York, May 13, 1861. 

For disability, at Newport News, Va., 

Aug. 19, 1861. 
Mustered to serve two years; mustered out 

Sept. 2. 1863. 
Mustered out June 13, 1865, at Baltimore, 

Md. 
For disability, at Newport News, Va., 

Aug. 19,1861. 
Captured on board the "Fanny," Oct. 1, 

1861; discharged as paroled prisoner, at 

Washington, D. C, May 21, 1862. 
For disability, at Newport News, Va., Dec. 

23, 1862. 
For disability, at Newport News, Aug. 19, 

1861. 
For disability, at Fortress Monroe, Va., 

Jan. 10, 1862. 
Transferred to this company, May 8, 1861; 

discharged for disability at Newport 

News, Va.. Aug. 19, 1861. 
For disability, at Pleasant Valley, Md. 

Oct. 25, 1862. 
For disability, at New York, N. Y., June 

3, 1861. 
For disability, at New York, N. Y., June 4, 

1861. 



612 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



DISCHARGED.— Company G.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Vischer, Henry 32 
"White, William 22 


May 4, '61 
Aug. 7, '61 


Private 


For disability, at Newport News.Va., Aug 
19, 1861. 

Wounded and capttired, at Camden, N. C, 
discharged asparoled prisoner, at Wash- 
ington, D. C, May 21, 1862. 



DIED. 

PRIVATES. 



Campbell, John 
Conway, James 


22 
18 


May 4, '61 
Aug, 20, '61 


Private 


Died of disease, at Hatteras Inlet, N. (.'., 

Oct. 15, 1861. 
Killed in action at Antietam. 


De Lavergne, 

George A. 
Deniorest, John W. 

Devlin, John 


25 
22 
26 


" 7, '62 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 16, '62 


» 


Killed in action at Antietam. 

Died of disease, at Fortress Monroe, Va., 

Dec. 18, 1861. 
Killed in action at Antietam. 


Flanigan, Patrick 


24 


July 81, '61 


" 


Killed in action at Antietam. 


Holland, Patrick 
Hopper, Jacah H. 


19 
23 


May 4, '61 
Aug. 18. "62 


i< 


Promoted sergeant, Jan . 20, 1862; killed in 

action at Antietam. 
Killed in action at Antietam. 


Hubbard, I'.i ainard 


18 


" 12, '61 


" 


Killed in action at Antietam . 


Knapp, William 
Negus, Allen W. 


18 
25 


May 4, '61 


,, 


Promoted corporal, date not stated; died of 
disease at Hatteras Inlet, N. C., Oct. 23, 
1861. 

Killed in action at Antietam. 


O'Leary, William 


22 


Aug. 22, '61 


" 


Died of disease, at Washington, D.O., Feb. 
26, 1863.* 



MISSING IN ACTION. 



PRIVATES. 



Thompson, Alfred 
McQuade, Henry 



May 4, '61 



Private 



Missing in action at Antietam. 
Missing in action at Antietam. 



DESERTED. 

PRIVATES. 



Carroll, John 


19 


May 4, 


'61 


Private 


Oct. 30, 1862, at hospital Washington, D.C. 


Decker, William E. 


19 


" 




" 


May, 1861. at Rikcr's Island, N. Y. 


Marshall, John 


20 


i: II 




" 


May, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
DESERTED.— Company G.— Continued. 



613 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered . 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Muller, Simon 


19 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Feb. 25, 1862, while on furlough. 


Margor, John W. 
Scott, William 


22 
26 


n n 


,, 


Promoted corporal, date not stated; de- 
serted, at Washington, D. C, Oct. 30, 
1862. 

Oct. 10, 1862, at hospital, Washington, D.C. 


Van Name, Aaron 


26 


Aug. 14, '62 


1 ' 


Nov. 12, 1862, while on sick furlough. 



NOT ACCOUNTED FOR. 



PRIVATE. 



Kabele, John 



24 May 4, '61 Private No further record 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Captain Henby C. Perley's Company H, 
9TH Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry. 
Mustered out with the company, May 20th, 1863. 

CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. | Rank. 


Remarks. 


Perley, Henry C. 


19 


May 4, '61 


1st Lieut. 
Co. F. 


Promoted captain and transferred to this 
company, March 1, 1863. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



McKechnie, Robert 



May4,'61 



Sergeant 



Promoted 1st sergeant, June 10, 1861; 2d 
lieutenant, Dec. 22, 1861; 1st lieutenant, 
March 5, 1862. 



2d LIEUTENANT. 



Rankin, Thomas 



26 



May 4, '61 



Corporal 



Promoted sergeant, June 10, 1861; 1st ser- 
geant, Dec. 22, 1861; 2d lieutenant, March 

8,1863.1 



1st SERGEANT. 



Johnston, Robert M. 23 May 4, '61 Sergeant Promoted 1st sergeant, March 15, 1863. 



SERGEANTS. 



Hodges, Thomas 
McMahon, Hugh 

Woolcot, William 


29 
31 

23 


May 4,'61 


Sergeant 
Private 

Corporal 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 

Promoted corporal Oct. 1, 1861; wounded in 
action at Camden, N. C; promoted ser- 
geant, March 15, 1863. 

Promoted sergeant, Dec. 22, 1861. 



CORPORALS. 



Bower, William 
Burns, William H. 
Daney, Alexander 

Matthews, William 
Newman, Henry 
Norris, William 



18 


May 4, '61 


Private 


21 


" 


" 


21 


■' 


" 


21 


.. .. 




19 


" 


" 


20 


it n 


" 



Promoted corporal, March 15, 1863. 

Wounded in action at Camden, N. C; pro- 
moted corporal, Feh. 1, 1863. 

Promoted corporal, Dec. 22, 1861; wounded 
and captured at Camden, N. C; ex- 
changed. 

Promoted corporal, Oct. 1, 1861. 

Promoted corporal, Dec. 22, 1861. 
Promoted corporal, Feb. 1, 1863. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
Company H— Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 



615 



MUSICIANS. 



Name. 


AGE. 


Mustered. 




When. 


Rank. 




Curtis, Wilbur F. 
Kenipe, Adolph 


33 
17 


May 4, '61 
Jan. 1. '62 


Private 

Private 

Co. G 

103d N.Y. 


Appointed bugler, May 17, 1861. 

Transferred to this regiment and company 
Jan. 15, 1863; mustered out as musician. 



PRIVATES. 



Barton, David 


22 


May 4, '61 


Private 




Bradley, Robert 


19 


" 


11 




I'.urk, Thomas 


28 


.. 


ii 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 


Carter, George B. 


23 


" 31, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 


Cottrell, Elijah 


30 


" 4, '61 


" 




Crosson, John 


23 


" 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Dewey, Robert J. 


19 


" 


" 




Gendernian, John 


21 


it 


" 




Gillespie, John 


19 


.. 


it 




Gurdrey, Timothy 


25 


" 


" 




Hamilton, 

Alexander F. 
Hammer, Francis 

Hartley, William 


21 

20 


June 4, '61 

May 4, '61 


ii 

Musician 

103d N. Y. 

Private 


Transferred to this company and regiment, 
Jan. 15, 1863. 


Huber, John P. 


18 


» 


" 




Irwin, Henry 


21 


" 


" 




Jessup, William 


28 


" 18, '61 


" 




Johnston, George W. 


20 


" 4, '61 


" 




Kauth, Francis 


19 


» 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Krekel, William 


20 


" 


» 




Kruntz, John H. 


21 


" 


" 




Leslie, William 


20 


" 


" 




Lowe, George D. 


18 


.. 


•' 




Maxwell, Alexander 


19 


" 


■' 




Mayer, Edward 


24 


" 


" 




McDermott, Peter 


19 


ii 


" 




McGinnis, .lam "s 


21 


« " 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


McNamara, Francis 


26 


" " 


" 




Murphy, Martin 


21 


" 


" 




Murtha, Patrick 


24 


Jan. 14, '62 


" 


Enlisted at Hatteras Inlet, N. C. 


Naeber, Thomas A. 


20 


May 4, '61 


" 




Nash, Patrick 


19 


" " 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 



616 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



Company H. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Paulding, William 


18 


Aug. 22, '61 


Private 




Twaddle, John 


19 


May 4, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 


Vaulinda, Samuel P. 


17 


Sept. 26, '62 


" 


Mustered out as musician. 


Wallace, Thomas 


20 


May 4, '61 


" 




Williams, Thomas 


18 


« 


" 




Wiseman, Charles 


20 


.. 


" 




Witt, Francis 


19 


" 


» 




Wood, Dewitt 


20 


.< 


Sergeant 




Wyman, Charles 


18 


" " 


Private 





TRANSFERRED 

To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1S63. 



CORPORALS. 



Preston, Patrick 
Leslie, John R. 



July 31, '61 
Aug. 8, '61 



Private 



Wounded in action at Camden, N. C; pro- 
moted corporal, date not stated. 

Promoted corporal, date not stated; 
wounded in action at Antietam. 



PRIVATES. 



Biegen, Henry 


19 


Aug. 8, *61 


Private 


Browning, John 


20 


" 30, '62 


" 


Burhans, Jacob I.. 


21 


" 20, '62 


" 


Byrnes, James 


18 


Oct. 16, "62 


" 


Carter, Willard 


19 


Aug. 13, '62 


" 


Coyle, James 


25 


Sept. 25, '62 


" 


Eckstein, Isaac 


22 


Oct. 24, '62 


" 


Faddan, William H. 


19 


Sept. 16, '62 


" 


Fallan, Peter 


20 


Aug. 8, '61 


" 


Folwell, Cortland 


19 


" 28, '62 


" 


Glock, Bernard 


20 


" 10, '61 


" 


Hankinson, 

Thomas D. 
Hickey, Dennis J. 


20 
19 


" 29, '62 
" 5, '61 


>. 


Joyce, Patrick 


31 


Sept. 15, '62 


" 


Kahn, Isaac 


19 


" 3, '61 


" 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
TRANSFERRED.— Company H.— Continued. 



617 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank 


Kleiner, Alexander 


19 


Aug. 7, '61 


Private 




Kratt, Christopher 


20 


" 10, '61 


«• 




Lawlor, Andrew 


19 


Oct, 16, '62 


" 




Lynch, John 


22 


Aug 25,' 62 


" 




Martin, James J. 


18 


" 26, '62 


" 




McClelland, John 


18 


" 2, '61 


" 




McCormick, Patrick 


20 


" 8, '61 


" 




McCormlek, Patrick 


21 


Oct. 16,'62 


" 




Naeber, John 


22 


Sept. 4, '61 


" 




Netter, James 


18 


Oct. 20, '62 


" 




Nolan, Henry J. 


19 


Aug. 5, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. c. 


O'Hara. James 


18 


" 25, '62 


" 




Owens, Bernard 


19 


Oct. 14, '62 


" 




Patrick, James 


19 


Aug. 25, '62 


" 




Reilly, Andrew 


18 


Oct. 0, '62 


lt 




Reilly : John 


19 


Aug. 9, '61 


" 




Schneider, Charles E. 


19 


Sept. 3, '61 


'• 





DISCHARGED. 

CAPTAIN. 



Rodrigues, Joseph C. 



30 



May 4, '61 



Captain By resignation, Dec. 29, 1862. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Rossell, William H. 



24 



May 27, '61 



Private 
Co. I. 



Promoted 1st lieutenant, May 31, 1861 ; trans- 
ferred to this company, Feb. 3, 1862; dis- 
charged by resignation, Feb. 15. 1862. 



2d LIEUTENANT. 



Lafon, Vincent F. 21 May 4, '61 2d Lieut. Discharged to date May 17, 1861. 



SERGEANT. 



Promoted sergeant, June 10, 1861; wounded 
at Antietam; discharged for disability at 
Philadelphia, Pa., April 17, 1863. 



Byrne, John 



May 4, '61 



Corporal 



618 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
DISCHARGED.— Company H.— Continued. 



PRIVATES. 



Mustered. 



When. 



Remarks. 



Benner, Francis 

Black, John 
Brady, John T. 
Dockstatler, Croshy 
Dockstader, Lancy 
Fauth, Jacob A. 
Finch, Matthew M. 
Lyons, James H. 
McCormick, John 
Moore, Lafayette 
Owens, John 

Reese, William 

Siinig, Bernard 
Simons, Harris 
Snyder, Samuel 

Thompson, Adam 

Trotter, Frances 

Wallace, John 

Wood, William H. 
Wyman, William 



May 4, '61 



19 
18 
26 
26 
18 
20 
19 
19 
18 
19 



Aug. 9, '62 
May 31, '61 

4, '61 



" 5, '61 
4 '61 

Aug. 9, '61 

May 4, '61 

Aug. 29. '61 

July 31, '61 
May 4, '61 



Private 



Corporal 
Private 



Private 
Co. G. 



Private 



Wounded while on picket; discharged for 
disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va 

At New York, May 7, 1861; no cause as- 
signed. 

For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 

May 21, 1861, at New Y'ork, N. Y. 

For disability, Jan . 29, 1863, at Convalescent 

Camp, Va. 
For disability, Jan. 29, 1863, at Washington, 

D. C. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
May 11, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 

For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 

For disability, May 4, 1861, at New Y'ork, 
N. Y'. 

Wounded inaction at Antietam; discharged 
for disability, Feb. 25, 1863, at Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

Wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, Jan. 8, 1863, at 
Convalescent Camp, Va. 

For disability, April 1, 1863, at Baltimore, 
Md. 

For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 

Wounded in action at Fredericksburg, Va. ; 
discharged for disability, April 25, 1863, at 
New York, N. Y . 

Transferred to this company, Sept. 26, 
1861 ; discharged for disability, May 26, 
1862, at Roanoke Island, N. C. 

Captured on board the "Fanny," Oct. 1, 
1861; mustered out as paroled prisoner, 
May 21, 1862, at Washington, D. C. 

Wounded in action at Antietam ; dis- 
charged for disability, Dec. 11, 1862, at 
Baltimore, Md. „ J 

For disability, Dec. 27, 1861, at Fortress 
Monroe, Va. 

For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 
News, Va. 



DIED. 

CORPORALS. 



Busam, Christian 
Patterson, William 



May 4, '61 



Private 



Promoted corporal, Oct. 1, 1861; killed in 
action at Antietam. 

Promoted corporal, June 10, 1861; killed in 
action at Antietam (was in the color 
guard at that time.) 



PRIVATES. 



Cavanaugh, 


20 


July 31, '61 


Private 


William I). 








Daly, Patrick 


19 


Aug. 30, '61 





Killed in action at Camden, N. C. 
Killed in action at Camden, N. C. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
DIED. — Company H. — Continued. 



619 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Donohue, Francis 
Eisley, John A. 
Fleming, David 
Johnston, David 
Johnston, John 
Magne, George 
O'Connell, John 

Pearson, Thomas 

Stephenson, 

William K. 
Vanness, Samuel J. 

Walan, John 



AGE, 



19 
24 

18 
19 
29 

| 24 

IS 

22 

18 
19 
28 



Mustered. 



When. 



May 4, '61 

Aug. 5, '61 
May 4, '61 
July 31, '61 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 27, '61 

May 4, '61 
Aug. 2, '61 
May 4, '61 
Aug. 12, '61 



Private 

Private 
Co. G. 

Private 
Co. F. 

Private 
Co. F. 

Private 



Private 
Co. G. 



Private 



Drummer 



Private 
Co. G. 



Remarks. 



Killed in action at Antietam. 

Transferred to this company, Sept. 26, 1861; 

died of wound received at Camden, N. C. 
Transferred to this company, Jan. 1, 186,'; 

killed in action at Antietam. 
Transferred to this company, Jan. 1, 1862; 

killed in action at Antietam. 
Died of wounds received at Antietam. 

Killed in action at Camden, N. C. 

Transferred to this company, Sept. 26, 1861; 

died of wounds received in action at 

Antietam. 
Died of wounds received at Antietam. 

Killed in action at Antietam. 

Died of disease, Aug. 9, 1862, at Newport 
News, Va. 

Transferred to this company, Sept. 26, 1861; 
drowned off transport near Aquia Creek, 
Va., Aug. 13, 1862. 



DESERTED. 

PRIVATES. 



Black, Rohert 






Private 


In May, 1861. 


Burns, John 


23 


May 4, '61 


" 


At New York, May 5, 1861. 


Davis, David 


27 


" 


" 


At New York, May 5, 1861. 


Hart, Henry 


18 


» 


u 


At Rockville, Md., Sept. 9, 1862. 


Cole, Calvin 
Mallett, Theodore 
McBride, Matthew 


30 
21 
22 


Aug. 22, '61 
Sept. 1, '62 
Aug. 26, '62 


Private 
Co. I. 

Private 
Co. G. 

Private 


Transferred to this company, Dec. 8, 1861 
deserted at Rockville, Md., Sept. 9, 1862. 

Transferred to this company, Nov. 25, 1862; 
deserted at Falmouth, Va., Nov. 30, 1862. 

At New York, May 1, 1863. 


McCaffy, Michael 


24 


Oct. 3, '62 


" 


At New York, May 1, 1863. 


Orr, James 


19 


May 4, '61 


" 


At New York, May 15, 1861. 


Rigby, Thomas 


21 


L. 


" 


At Riker's Island, May 21, 1861. 


Schradin, Henry 


20 


.< 


» 


May 5, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 


Skinner, John C. 


32 


» 


» 


May 5, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 


White, Samuel 


20 


Oct. 8. '62 


" 


Nov. 30, 1862, at Falmouth Sta., Va. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Captain Lawrence Leahy's Company I, 

9TH Regiment, New York Volunteers. 
Mustered out with the company, on the 20th day of May, 1863. 

CAPTAIN. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Leahy, Lawrence 


21 


May 4, '61 


1st Lieut. 


Promoted captain, March 15, 1862. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Fleming James H. 26 May 4, '61 2d Lieut. Promoted 1st lieutenant, Feb. 14, 1862 



3d LIEUTENANT. 



Andrews, William S. 



20 



May 4, '61 



1st Sergeant 
Co G 



Promoted 2d lieutenant, June 24, 1861 ; de- 
trailed signal officer at army headquarters. 



1st SERGEANT. 



Paret, Charles H. 25 May 4, '61 Sergeant Promoted 1st sergeant, Nov. 1, 1862. 



SERGEANTS. 



Kervan, Edward H. 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 
Co. F. 


Transferred to this company, May 5, 1861 ; 
promoted sergeant same date; wounded 
in action at Antietam. 


McKinley, John 


27 




Private 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. ; pro- 
moted corporal, May 1, 1862: sergeant, 
Nov. 1. 1862. 


Ross, John G. 


21 






Promoted corporal, Oct. 1,1861; sergeant, 
Nov. 1, 1861 . 


Rourke, Thomas 


24 




Sergeant 





CORPORALS. 



Boyd, Dewitt C. 


19 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 23, 1862, 


Brown, William 


24 




" 


Promoted corporal, March 7, 1863. 


Davis, John S. 


20 




Corporal 




Gongh, James J. 


21 




Private 


Promoted corporal, Feb. 12, 1862. 


Hill, Charles E. 


26 




Corporal 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 


Severence, William 


25 




Private 


Promoted corporal, Nov. 1, 1862. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
Company I. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 



621 



MUSICIAN. 



Name. 


AGE. 


Mustered . 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Scott, William T. 


19 


May 4, '61 


Musician 





PRIVATES. 



Bartlett, 

Frederick E. 
Bell, Richard 


24 
20 


May 4, '61 


Private 






Bliss, Joseph D. 


19 


ii 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 




Bolger, Thomas 


19 


ii 


" 






Cavanaugh, James 


27 


ii 


" 






Cockefair, William 


22 


ii 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 




Colton, Michael 


22 


" 


" 






Donavan, Timothy D. 


20 


!< 


" 






Downey, Dennis 




" 27, '61 


" 






Driscoll, William 


19 


4, '61 


" 






Edie, Charles B. 


21 


» 


■ 






Flanagan, William 


22 


" 


" 






Graham, Charles D. 


19 


" 


" 






Hagan, Daniel J. 


21 


ii 


" 






Johnston, Charles F. 


21 


ii 


" 


Wounded in action at Camden, N. C. 




Kirman. James 


19 


.. 


«' 






Kitz, Nicholas 


22 


ii 


" 






Krohr, William 


21 


«• 


" 






Lanagan, Edward 


25 


ii 


" 






Luckmeyer, John 


23 


« 


" 






McCaffrey, Francis 


20 


i. 


" 






Meyers, William 


19 


" 


" 






Milling, John 


22 


k 


" 






Moore, William 


18 


" " 


" 






Piatt, Lewis A. 


29 


" 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam. 




Schultz, James 


19 


" 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietam . 




Schwartz, Jacob 


21 


" 


" 






Smythe, William H. 


24 


i. 


" 


Wounded inaction at Antietam. 




Sweeney, Peter B. 


18 


" 


» 






Thain, Hamilton W. 
Turner, John 


18 

20 


,. 


Private 
Co. F. 
Private 


Transferred to this company, May 5, 
wounded in action at Antietam . 


1861; 



622 MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 

Company I. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

PRIVATES. 





Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 






When. 


Rank. 




Wark 


e, William 




May , 15'61 


Private 




AVattt 


rson, Henry W. 


19 


" 4, '61 


" 




Ware 


ing, William H. 25 


" 15, '61 


41 





TRANSFERRED 
To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 



SERGEANT. 



Thompson, Walter L. 24 Aug. 21 '01 Private Promoted corporal, Oct. 1, 1861; sergeant, 

Nov. 1, 1861. 



CORPORALS. 



Tooker, James R. 


19 


Aug. 22, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, date not stated. 


Smith, John 


23 


Sept. 3, '61 


" 


Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1863. 


Eaughlin, George 


22 


Aug. 22,' 61 


" 


Promoted corporal, Jan. 1, 1863. 



PRIVATES. 



Benner, Nicholas 


21 


Aug. 21, '62 


Private 




Berrian, Mervin J. 


22 


" 23, '62 


" 




Blanchard, James 


19 


" 22, '62 


" 




Brooks, James 


21 


Oct. 21, '62 


" 




Buckland, Charles 


19 


Aug. 3, '61 


" 




Cuttle, George C. 


21 


Sept. 10, '62 


•' 




Dalton, Henry 


24 


Aug. 19, '62 


" 


To Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 


Daly, David N. 


24 


Sept. 24, '62 


" 




Daly, John H. 


22 


" 29, '62 


" 




Demott, Peter N. 


21 


Aug. 23, '62 


" 




Dixon, Jeremiah 


25 


" 21, '62 


» 


To Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 


Dickinson, John W. 


19 


" 22, '62 


" 




Driscoll, Jeremiah 


18 


" 20, '62 


" 




England, John 


25 


Aug. 31, '61 


" 




Feeley, Patrick 


28 


" 30, '61 


" 


Wounded in action at Antietiun. 


Fitzpatrick, John 


22 


" 21, '62 


" 


To Morris' battery. May 3, 1863. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
TRANSFERRED.— Company I. —Continued. 

PRIVATES. 



623 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
When. | Rank. 


Freed, William T. 


21 


Aug. 23, '62 


Private 


Gallagher, Jaines 


21 


May 27, '61 


" 


Hatfield, Leonard 


20 


Aug. 22/61 


" 


Heckler, Frank 


19 


Sept. 2, '61 


" 


Hughes, John E. 


20 


Aug. 22, '62 


" 


Kehoe, John 


24 


" 21, '62 


" 


Keyser, John 


21 


" 28, '62 


" 


Kippax, William H. 


19 


" 22, '61 


" 


Lewis, Richard V. 


21 


Sept. 19, '62 


" 


Madden, James 


19 


Aug. 22, '61 


" 


Maher, Michael 


19 


Sept. 22/62 


" 


Marsh, Samuel H, 


20 


May 20, '61 


" 


McCluskey, Hugh 


25 


Aug. 22, '62 


" 


McCne, Edward J. 


21 


" 21, '62 


" 


McGloin, William 


21 


" 20, '62 


" 


McVey, Samuel 


18 


" 22, '61 


" 


Mead, James 
Reed, William H. 


18 
22 


June 2, '61 
Nov. 7, '62 


Private 

Co. B. 

Private 


Ryan, Stephen 


19 


Aug. 26, '62 


" 


Smith, Henry J. 


21 


" 19, '62 


" 


Smith, John B. 


21 


Oct. 7, '62 


" 


Sweeney, Joseph 


21 


Aug. 9, '62 


" 


Wheeler, Thomas 


28 


" 30, '62 


11 


White, James 


23 


Sept. 30/62 


" 



Remarks. 



Wounded and captured at Camden, N. C. 
exchanged. 



Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 



Transferred to Morris' battery.May 3, 1863. 
Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3,1863. 

Transferred to this company, Nov. 16, 1801 . 
Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 



Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 
Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 
Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 
Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 



DISCHARGED. 



CAPTAINS. 



Barnard, Leon 


30 


May 3, 


'61 


1st Lieut. 
1st. N. Y. 


Commissioned captain in First New York 
Infantry; transferred to this regiment 
and company, July 31, 1861; discharged 
by resignation, March 15, 1862. 


Copcutt, Henry W. 


26 


" 4, 


'61 


Captain 


By resignation, Aug. 12, 1861 . 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Burke, Timothy J. 25 May 4, '61 1st Lieut. Discharged by resignation, May 26, 1861 



624 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
DISCHARGED.— Company I.— Continued. 



CORPORAL. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Dennis, Edward 


20 


Aug. 22, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, date not stated; 
wounded in action at Antietam; dis- 
charged for disability, Jan. 13, 1803, at 
Frederick, Md. 



PRIVATES. 



Albright, Charles A, 
Beaton, Charles H. 
Beaiir, Albert 
Beith, James 

Carson, John 

Corsa, Lewis A. 
Crosby, Robert 
Curry, William 
Dalton, Henry 
Foley, Thomas 

Fulton, David 
Fulton, Theodore 
Griffin, Jacob M. 
Hamilton, David 
Hutton, William S. 
McDevitt, Daniel 
Smith, James 
Thatcher, Charles B 
Wood, William 



Aug. 18, '62 


Private 


May 4, '61 




June 19, '62 




May 4, '61 




June 5, '61 




May 10, '61 




Sept. 29, 62 




May 27, '61 




" 4, '61 




Aug. 22, '61 




3, '61 




May 4, '61 




Aug. 30,'61 





For disability, Nov. 19, 1862. 

For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
Captured on tbe "Fanny," Oct. 1, 1861; 

mustered out as paroled prisoner, May 21, 

1862, at Washington, D. C. 
Captured on the "Fanny," Oct. 1, 1861; 

mustered out as paroled prisoned, May 21, 

1862, at Washington, D. C. 
For disability, Feb. 16, 1863, at Convalescent 

Camp, iVa. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Oct. 16, 1862, at Providence, 

R.I. 
For disabilitv, May 14, 1861, at Riker's 

Island, N. Y. 
Wounded at Fredericksburg, Va.; dis- 
charged for disability, March 1, 1863, at 

Washington, D. C. 
For disability, Dec. 5, 1861, at Hatteras In- 
let, N. C. 
For disability, June 27, 1862, at Roanoke 

Island, N. C. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, June 30, 1862, at Roanoke 

Island, N. C. 
Jan. 9, 1863. at Providence. R.I. 

For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, May 10, 1861, at New York, 

N. Y. 
Dishonorably, by sentence of G. C. M., to 

date, Aug. 30, 1863. 



McClincby, John 



DIED. 

SERGEANT. 



May 4, '61 



Corporal 



Promoted sergeant prior to June 30, 1861: 
drowned at Hatteras Inlet, N. C, Nov. 11, 
1861. 



Adair, John 



CORPORAL. 



June 1, '61 



Private Promoted corporal, Oct. 1, 1861; killed in 
action at Antietam. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
DIED — .Company I. — Continued. 



625 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 


When. 


Rank. 


Collins, Levi 


19 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Killed in action at Antietara. 


Haltzmar, Charles 
Matzer, John 


22 

21 


Aug. 15, '61 


<• 


Killed while on guard at Newport News, 

Va.. Sept. 1, 1861. 
Died of disease, Dec. 15, 1862, at Alexandria, 

Va. 
Killed in action at Antietam. 


Murph, James 


23 


May 4, '61 


" 


Seward, William M. 
Warren, Albert 


20 
25 


.. ,. 


" 


Promoted corporal, Sept. 1, 1861; killed in 

action at Camden, N. C. 
Drowned off transport in N. Y. harbor, 

June 5, 1861. 



DESERTED. 



PRIVATES. 



Adams, Robert 


22 


May 4, '61 


Corporal 


July 1, 1861, at Fortress Monroe, Va, 


Bodell, Charles 


20 


.< 


Private 


May 28, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 


Cassidy, Charles 


19 


>' 






May 15, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 


Dalton, Charles 


19 


.< 






Dec. 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg, Va., face of 


Devers, Charles 


22 


Aug. 22, '61 






the enemy. 

Promoted corporal, date not stated; de- 
serted Aug. 12, 1862, at Falmouth Station, 
Va. 

Sept. 14, 1862, at South Mountain, Md., face 
of the enemy. 

June 5, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 


Gallagher, Charles 
Marand, Thomas 


18 


May 27, '61 
" 4, '61 






Pettigrew, John 
Quack, Charles 


18 


Aug. 20, '62 






Sept. 14, 1862, at South Mountain, Md., face 

of the enemy. 
In May, 1861, 


Shaw, William 
Sproutz, Nicholas 


22 

19 


May 4, '61 






Dec, 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg, Va., face 

of the enemy. 
June 5, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 


Trainor, Phillip 


21 


Oct. 21, '62 






Feb. 6, 1863, at Aquia Creek, Va. 


Von Ullen, William 


19 


Aug. 16,'61 






Sept. 29, 1862, at Antietam Iron Works, Md. 


Wallen, Franklin 


22 


May 4, '61 






May 24, 1861, New York, N. Y. 


Wheeler, Henry W. 
Wilcox, Charles 


20 
21 


.. 






Dec. 13, 186*, at Fredericksburg, Va., in 

face of the enemy. 
May 24, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 


Zinch, Charles 


20 


" " 






May 24, 1861, at New York, N. Y. 



NO RECORD. 



PRIVATE. 



Flanigan, Richard 



May 27, '61 Private No further record 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL of Captain Richard H. Morris' Company K, 

9TH Regiment, New York Volunteers. 

Mustered out with the company, on the 20th day of May, 1863. 

CAPTAIN. 





Age. 


Mustered. 


Remarks. 




When. 


Rank. 


Morris, Richard H. 


21 


May 4, *61 


Sergeant 
Co. C 


Promoted 2d lieutenant, Co. H, June 1, 
1861; 1st lieutenant, Co. K, Dec. 25, 1861; 
captain, Sept. 30, 1862. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Donaldson, John L. 



May 4, '61 



1st Sergeant 



Promoted 2d lieutenant, Feb. 15, 1862; 1st 
lieutenant, Aug. 10, 1862. 



3d LIEUTENANT. 



Shields, John R. 



19 May 4, '61 Private Promoted corporal in 1861; 1st sergeant, 
Dec. 1, 1862; 2d lieutenant, March 16, 1863. 



1st SERGEANT. 



McLaughlin, Michael 25 May 4, '61 Private Promoted corporal June 18, 1861 ; sergeant, 

Oct. 1, 1861; 1st sergeant, March, 16, 1863. 



SERGEANTS. 



Newber, Chales F. 
Starr, John H. 
Ufford, John L. 



May 4, '61 



Private 
Sergeant 
Private 



Promoted corporal, date not stated; ser- 
geant, March 1, 1863. 



Promoted sergeant, Aug. 19, 1802. 



CORPORALS. 



Curley, Michael 


20 


May 4, '61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, Feb. 1, 1862. 


Hopper, George 




" 15, '61 


» 


Promoted corporal, Dec. 17, 1861. 


Home, James 


20 


4, '61 


" 


Promoted corporal, Feb. 1, 1862. 


Kelly, Michael 


21 


•' 


" 


Promoted corporal, prior to Aug. 1862. 


Scott, Edward 


19 


" " 


" 


Promoted corporal, March 5, 1863. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 
Company K— Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 



627 



MUSICIANS. 



Mustered. 



When. 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



Hutchinson, William 
Hitter, Peter 



May 4, '61 
Nov. 5, '61 



Musician 

Musician 

Co. K, 

103d N. Y. 



Transferred to this regiment and company, 
Jan. 13, 1863. 



PRIVATES. 



Alvord, Walter B. 

Anketel, William T. 

Bamerick, Thomas 

Blair, Thomas 

Brodigan, Patrick 

Clark, Bernard 

Cole, Francis 

Connelly, Patrick 

Cook, Theodore 

Corsini, Giovanni 

Cunningham, 

Michael 
Fanning, William 

Farley, Thomas 

Fleming, Howard 

Gaynor, Frederick 

Henley, John 

Hickey, Michael 

Hogan, James 

Hyler, William 

Johnston, Robert 

Kelly, Patrick 

Kline, Peter 

Knapp, William 

Malone, John 

Mansfield, Francis 

Marks, Jonas 

McGinnis, John 

McMullin, William 

McNellis, Patrick 

Minay, Michael 

Mulligan, Michael 



19 M 


iy 4, '61 


19 


i 


19 


' 


19 


. 


21 


i 


21 


■ 


23 


' 




' 29, '61 


20 


1 4, '61 


28 


i 


19 


' 


21 


■ 


19 


' 


22 


' 


22 


. u 


19 


i 


23 


4 


20 


. 


20 


. 


19 


' " 


21 


, 


31 


4 


20 


' " 


20 


' " 


27 


. .. 


30 


' 


19 


1 29, '61 


19 


' 1, '61 


21 


' 


19 


1 " 


21 


. u 



Private 



Wounded in action at Antietam. 



Wounded in action at Antietam . 



628 MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 

Company K. — Continued. Mustered out with the Company. 

PRIVATES. 



Name. 


. „ Mustered. 

Age. : ~ 

When. | Rank. 


Remarks. 


Nash, John 


20 M 


ly 4, '61 


Private 




Nicholas, George C. 


22 




' 






Nolan, Walter 


22 


1 27, '61 


' 






Presley, Benjamin 


26 


4, '61 


' 






Prine, William 


20 




' 






Ryan, John 


20 










Schaefer, John 


21 










Sheik, Edward 


30 




' 






Stapleton, Thomas 


21 




' 






Stevens, Daniel F. 


21 


ii 


' 






Walker, Robert 


23 


' 


' 






Wandling, Charles 


20 ' 




' 






Wendell, Jacob 


20 




' 






Wilkinson, 

Alexander 
Wright, James 


22 
19 


I u 


• 







TRANSFERRED 



To 3D Regiment, N. Y. Volunteer Infantry, May 6, 1863. 



1st LIEUTENANT. 



Silva, Francis A. 



May 13, '61 



1st Lieut. 



Transferred to 1st Reg't N. Y. Inf't'y, July 
31, 1861. 



SERGEANTS. 



O'Byrne, "Michael C 



20 



Aug. 20, '61 



Private 
Co. B. 



Transferred to this company, Aug. 31, 1862; 
promoted corporal, March 5, 1862; ser- 
geant, date not stated. 



CORPORALS. 



Holt, Stephen J. 
Singleton, John 



Sept. 2, '61 
Aug. 6, '61 



Private 
Private 



Promoted corporal, May 1, 1862. 
Promoted corporal, March 5, 1863. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



629 



TRANSFERRED.— Company K.— Continued. 

PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Age. 



Mustered, 



When. 



Rank. 



Remarks. 



Anderson, Alfred 

Bliss, Frank 

Brady, Terance 

Brower, Austin 

Burke, Richard 

Campbell, Thomas 

Chambers, John 

Close, James 

Cox, Albert 

Demarest, John J. 

Dreyer, John H. 

Ferris, Charles W. 

Finley, William N. 

Folks, John P. 

Gibbons, Edward W. 

Hall, David 

Hand, Joseph B. 

Hanson, David 

Hazlett, James 

Hulse, Lewis H. 

Joost, John 

Kelly, John 

Lock, William A. 

Lockry, James 

Lockwood, 

Charles H. 
Martin, William 

Mathews, Joseph 

McFadden, John 

McGinley, Robert Jr, 

Merritt, Isaac M. 

Mulvhill, Michael 

Pendleton, Sylvester 

Purdy, James R. 

Shields, Charles A. 

Sutton, Edward 

Wetteraw, GeorgeW 

Wright, Andrew J. 



22 

18 
22 
18 
20 
19 
21 
18 
19 
24 
19 
18 
20 
21 
20 
21 
28 
19 
19 

23 
28 
21 
25 
24 
18 
21 
22 
19 
18 
20 
18 
25 
19 
27 
20 
32 



Aug. 13, 


'61 


" 12, 


'01 


" 30, 


'62 


" 19, 


'61 


" 7, 


'62 


" 26, 


'62 


" 20, 


'62 


" 9, 


61 


" 26, 


tn 


Sept. 6, 


'68 


Aug. 19, 


'61 


" 18, 


'62 


" 28, 


'62 


Sept. 4, 


'62 


" 16, 


'02 


" 8, 


'62 


Aug. 28, 


'61 


" 7, 


'62 


Aug. 7, 


'62 


Oct. 8, 


'02 


Sept. 29, 


'62 


Aug. 26, 


'62 


Sept. 20, 


'02 


Aug. 21, 


'62 


" 18, 


'02 


" 19, 


'01 


" 7, 


'62 


Sept. 2, 


'01 


Aug. 29, 


'62 


" 22, 


'61 


Sept. 2 


'02 


Aug. 22, 


'61 


" 13, 


'62 


" 23, 


'61 


Sept. 10 


'02 


Aug. 26 


'62 


" 8, 


'61 



Private 



Private 
Co. I. 
Private 



Private 
Co. I. 

Private 
Co. I. 
Private 



Private 
Co. I. 

Private 
Co. I. 

Private 



Private 

Co. G. 

Private 



Private 
Co. D. 
Private 



Transferred to this company, Oct. 26, 1862; 
to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 



Transferred to this company, Oct. 26, 1862; 

to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 
Transferred to this company, Oct. 20, 1862. 



Transferred to this company, Oct. 26, 1862; 

to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 
Transferred to this company, Oct. 26, 1862. 

Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 

Transferred to Morris' battery. May 3, 1863. 



Transferred to this company, Jan. 10, 1862. 

Transferred to Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 
To Morris' battery, May 3, 1863, 
To Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 

Transferred to this company, Oct. 26, 1862. 



Private 
Co. D. 
Private 



Transferred to this company, Oct. 25, 1862 

to Morris' battery May 3, 1863. 
To Morris' battery, May 3, 1863. 



630 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



DISCHARGED. 



CAPTAINS. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mustered. 
Whex. 1 Rank. 


Remarks. 


Stiner, Joseph N. 

Ant lion, Jolin H. 

Whiting, 

James K-, Jr. 


28 


May 4, '61 
Sept. 3, '01 


Captain 

1st Lieut. 


July 30, 1861, by resignation. 

Commissioned captain ; not mustered ; dis- 
charged July 3lst. 1861. 

Promoted captain, Nov. 23, 1861; discharged 
by resignation, Sept. 30,1862. 



LIEUTENANTS. 



Foster, Frank T. 
Doughty, George T. 
Eytinge, Harry 



May 4, '61 
May 4, '61 



1st Lieut. 
2d Lieut. 
Corporal 



Discharged by resignation, May 13, 1861. 

Discharged by resignation, Aug. 26, 1861. 

Promoted sergeant, Aug. 1, 1861; 2d lieu- 
tenant. Sept. 22, 1861; discharged by res- 
ignation, Dec. 6, 1861. 



SERGEANT. 


Fish, Latham A. 


19 


Aug. 2, 


'61 


Private 
Co. C. 


Promoted corporal, Oct. 1,1861; transferred 
to this company, Aug. 9, 1862; promoted 
sergeant, Aug. 19, 1862; discharged by 
promotion to 2d lieutenant 174th N. Y., 
Nov. 13, 1862. 


CORPORAL. 


Sullivan, William 


22 


May 4, 


'61 


Private 


Promoted corporal, May 20, 1861; sergeant, 
July 15, 1861; discharged for disability, 
June 2, 1862 



PRIVATES. 



Acker, George 

Blanchard, Allan 

Bowers, George 

Cox, Michael 

Flanigan, 

Christopher 
llaimn. Francis 

Hilderbrand, Basil 

Karker, Lewis 

Million, Michael 

McCarthy, Thomas 

McLaughlin, 

Alexander 
McSorley, Lewis 

Monroe, Robert 

Morrison, Thomas 

Ritchie, James 



21 
19 
20 
20 
26 
22 
22 
25 
32 
30 
22 
21 
19 
32 
20 



Sept. 13,'62 
May 4, '61 



Aug. 23, '61 
May 4, '61 



Aug. 9, '61 
May 4, '61 



Private 



Sergeant 
Corporal 
Private 



For disability, Jan. 13, 1863, 

For disability, Nov. 10, 1862, at New York, 

N. Y. 
For disability, July 3, 1862, at Roanoke 

Tsland, N. C. 
For disability, Aug. 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Aug. 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, June 1, 1861, at Riker's 

Island, N. Y. 
For disability, Aug 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Nov. 18, 1861, at Hatteras 

Inlet, N. C. 
For disability, Aug. 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Jan. 5, 1863, at Falmouth 

Station, Va. 
For disability, Aug, 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Aug. 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, Aug. 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, June 3, 1862, at Roanoke 

Island, N. C. 
For disability, Aug. 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 



MUSTER-OUT ROLL. 



631 



DISCHARGED.— Company K.— Continued. 

PRIVATES. 



Name. 


Age. 


Mus 
When. 


rERED. 

Rank. 


Remarks. 


Boss, Henry 


18 


May 4, '61 


Private 


May 29, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 


Schaffer, Valentine 


30 


" " 


" 


For disability, June 18, 1861 . 


Shannan, Sylvester 


19 


" 


" 


Junel, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 


Sherwin, George J. 


28 


" 


Corporal 


For disability, June 15, 1861. 


Silva, Valentine M. 


18 


Aug. 9, '61 


Private 


Dec. 18, 1862, at Washington, D. C. 


Skillery, Charles 
Travis, William 


19 

18 


May 4, '61 


u 


For disability, Aug. 14, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 
For disability, May 11, 1861. 


Walsh, John 
Yenuy, Joseph 


21 
22 


„ it 


•• 


Feb. 3, 1863, at Falmouth Station, Va., by 

sentence of a G. C. martial. 
For disability, Aug. 20, 1861, at Newport 

News, Va. 



DIED. 

PRIVATES. 



Grunther, John 
Rose, Solomon 
Scanlou, Richard 



Aug, 18, '62 
May 15, '61 



Private 
Sergeant 
Private 



Of disease, Dec. 24, 1862, at Point Lookout, 

Md. 
Of disease, July 25, 1862, at New York, N. Y. 

Of wounds received in action at Roanoke 
Island, N. C. 



DESERTED. 

PRIVATES. 



Browning, John 


21 


May 4, '61 


Private 


June 1, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 


Deck, Francis 


21 


>t 


" 


June 3, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 


Heidorf, Anthony 
McCusker,Terence B. 

Patterson, Henry 


34 

21 

18 


Aug. 28, '62 
May 4, '61 


Sergeant 

Private 
Co. D. 

Private 


Reduced, date not stated; deserted, June 3, 

1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 
Transferred to this company, Oct. 15, 1862; 

deserted at Fredericksburg, Va , Dec. 15, 

1862, in face of the enemy; thought to be 
demented. 

June 1, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 


Peacock, Francis M. 




" 14, '61 


Private 


Promoted sergeant-major, June 25, 1861 
capured on board the "Fanny," of which 
he was in command, Oct. 1, 1861; reduced 
to the ranks; deserted to the enemy while 


Starkey, Thomas 


21 


4, '61 


» 


a prisoner. 
June 1, 1861, at Riker's Island, N. Y. 


Terry, Edmund 


19 


" " 


" 


June 1, 1861, at Riker's Island. N. Y. 



Names borne on the Adjutant General's record as Unassigned, 
with nq further record than below. 



PRIVATES. 



Name. 



Allen, Henry 
Baker, Edward 
Burdick, Charles D. 
Burlingham, Horace 
Byrnes, William 
Church, Theodore 
Clark, Lewis 
Cooney, James 
Collins, Joseph 
Dunn, Stuart 
Gardner, Charles W. 
Heuesey, Patrick 
Le Fort, Emil 
Meadows, Robert 
Moore, Thomas 
Mulligan, Patrick 
Morton, John 
Mullan, Arthur 
Murphy, James C. 
Murphy, John 
Murray, James 
Pendergrast, John 
Reiley, Patrick 
Ryan, Michael 
Hanlon, George 



Mustered. 



When. 



Bank. 



Place and Term of Enlistment. 



Sept. 25, "62 
Oct. 15, "62 
Nov. 13, '62 

" 8, '62 

" 18, '62 
Sept. 20, '62 
Nov. 1, '62 

" 3, '62 
Oct. 23, '61 
Sept. 9, '62 

' 18, '62 
Oct. 15, '62 

" 18, '62 
Aug. 27, '62 
Oct. 31, '62 
Sept. 25, '62 
Sept. 23, '62 
Oct. 15, '62 
Sept. 11, '62 

" 9, '62 
Oct. 21, '62 
Sept. 24, '62 
Nov. 3, '62 

" 3, "62 



Private 



At New York. 
At New York . 

At New York, to serve nine months. 
At New York, to serve nine months. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years . 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years . 
At New York, to serve three years . 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years . 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
At New York, to:serve three years. 
At New York, to serve three years. 
Discharged in May, 1861 . 



ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 
By Colonel Hawkins. 

Page 38. — Colonel Hawkins was not in the service until 
1848, after active hostilities between the armies had ceased. 

Pages 170 and 171. — An expedition was organized for 
the purpose of destroying the locks of the Dismal Swamp 
Canal. It was originated by Captain Rowan of the Navy 
and Colonel Hawkins. After approval by General Burn- 
side a plan of advance was agreed upon. Captain Rowan 
was to command the naval forces and Colonel Hawkins 
the land. The seventeenth of April the latter received 
the following letter : 

Newberne, April 16, 1862. 
My Dear Colonel: — I send you to-day the 51st Pennsylvania, a 
fine regiment ; embark at once with at least 1,800 men, and be ready 
for an immediate move. Don't allow the slightest communication 
with the Banks. 

Yours truly, 

A. E. BURNSIDE. 
I'll be up or send orders. 

On the morning of the 18th, without a word of explana- 
tion, General Reno appeared with two regiments of his 
brigade and assumed command, and the original plan 
agreed upon was neither mentioned nor carried out. 

Pages 225 and 226. — The news about the fall of Rich- 
mond came from a James River boat, decked out in flags, 
which reached Hampton Roads just as the Roanoke Island 
boat was leaving. The James River captain, while his 
boat was under w T ay, answered the inquiry about his dis- 



634 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 

play of flags by saying, " Richmond has been captured." 
On board the Roanoke Island boat there was a Burnside 
staff officer, who, with the captain of that vessel, repeated 
the statement. For certain reasons, not to be mentioned. 
Colonel Hawkins deemed it best to write and hand to the 
staff officer what had been repeated, at the same time 
asking him to explain to General Burnside the facts as to 
its source. This he did not do, but handed the communi- 
on : on over without comment. 

Page 4S0 — In sixth line from the top of page insert the 
words " one of " between " as " and " our." 

Page 497. — Add the word " on " to " up " at the end of 
first line, fourth paragraph. 

Page 505. — In eleventh line from top of page insert be- 
tween the words " times " and " imperishable " the words 
" to conceive and bring forth those." 



ERRATA. 

Page 573. — Last line, " 1872 " should be " 1862." 

Page 574. — Column of "Rank" opposite George Haisel- 
den should read "Private, Company I," and Edward Hop- 
kins, "Private, Company A." 

Page 586 — Martin Meyers, and all the others whose 
names follow his under " Mustered out with the company," 
were mustered in on May 4, instead of "August 12, 1861." 




I III I III II 111 III 1 I II III 

013 760 454 1 



